Ehky ya Scheherazade

TELL ME A STORY: A rare glimpse in to the life of a TV show hostess, who has the courage of conviction to present the unpleasant truth in spite of bureaucratic opposition and innumerable hurdles. Every case presented by her is a reflection on the skewed social system that is reluctant to address the issues that plague many of its members and she gathers enough strength to refuse to take it lying down any longer. Yousry Nasrallah has proved his capability as a versatile director in telling the story so grippingly using the camera to his full advantage. The climax is brilliant and we leave the theater with the satisfaction of viewing a masterpiece among contemporary films.

As a Westerner, albeit one who has lived in the Middle East, though not in Egypt, this was a fascinating inside view of a country most in the US know little about, other than what we see on TV news.

Aspects of the film, such as the production values and the stylized, Telanovela-type melodramatic acting in some scenes, are not what a Western viewer may be used to. In this regard,the film is somewhat uneven. Portions are even at the level 1960's Italian "spaghetti Westerns" or early Japanese low-budget sci-fi. Yet, other aspects, such as the camera work are fresh and innovative, reminiscent of perhaps Pedro Almodovar, and other director/writers who have done a lot with little.

A few technical flaws aside, this film is highly recommended. The story structure and concept of using a classic legend is satisfying to the viewer, making difficult material palatable, and allowing one to see parallels that cross borders, culture and time.

When I was leaving the cinema, I was confused & disturbed by the stories that I just heard, but I felt that Yousry Nasrallah's vision of cinema is a beam of light in the darkness of nowadays movies. Stories very deep & moving told smoothly with a style you miss in most Egyptian movies. Written by the Veteran "Wahid Hamed" & acted by a fierce group of new actresses & actors with the lead of a woman of impressive acting capabilities , probably the best actress of her age "Mona Zaki" & the great "Mahmoud Hemida". An instant classic with the taste of the modern cinema reminds me of the late Youssef Chahine, would make your head spin with the shocking reality about women in Egypt nowadays. No other movie in the last few years affected me like this one.

10/10

Had the opportunity to see this movie at TIFF and it was simply remarkable! The stories of all characters were based on real life incidents. The actors were really magnificent in translating the miserable treatment the characters went through in their life. The stories depicted in the film and the overall message suggests that some women could be living in difficult situations in Egypt, and it is extremely disturbing. The stories are of real people living in Egypt and the movie has been playing in Egypt since June. By the nature of the film, it is a controversial one but directed extremely well. Try to see this one - an excellent movie!

A nice movie to watch. The movie is full of different insights, contains a lot of messages for different types of audiences. I recommend.