Khaltet Fawzeya

It's one of those movies that come once in a blue moon, many people might disagree with me, but it's definitely one of the best Egyptian movies made over the past decade.

A bittersweet tale of a much-marrying woman, who is always looking for an affectionate, caring and tender man, but she almost never finds him until she meets "Houda", and yet she keeps a close friendship with her ex-husbands and fathers of her children, and they all eat and celebrate as a one big happy family who really care for each other.

Script-wise, it was great, characters were well written, introduced and developed, except maybe for "Wedad" (played by Nagwa Fouad) who was so great, but cut off abruptly, I believe she deserved more screen time.

When it comes to cinematography, Nancy Abdel-Fattah takes an A+, I really loved the visual style she chose that helped convey this sweet and warm feeling in a harsh and ugly reality, though the visual effects were executed badly, and that was probably the only negative thing about this movie for me.

As for the music, it was good and fitting, but it was a bit too outdated, and it could have been better.

When it comes down to the director, Magdy Ahmed Aly is one of Egypt's most locally underrated auteurs, he is definitely a great director who knows what he's doing, even though I might disagree with his choices at times, yet these are only artistic differences that couldn't possible stop me from appreciating his work!

All in all, this is a pretty, bittersweet hopeful tale of a woman who faces the bad cards she's dealt with hope and smile on her face and in her soul, and that is Fawzeya's "Secret Recipe" that helps her live with her daily struggle with harsh reality as if she's on top of the world.