Coup de foudre au Caire

Very well-cast crew. Incredibly perceptive and observant director. Took me back to Cairo. Alexander Siddiq is so cute in this movie. Its good to see a movie that does not follow the typical Hollywood American action crap with a climax and a happy ending.

This movie in my opinion was not a typical movie with a plot but more like a trip to Cairo. A sweet memorable trip very identical to my trip and experience there last year, minus the lovely Alexander..

Well done Rubba. Keep them coming... wouldn't mind watching a Granada time or Barcelona time..Beirut time or Istanbul or Kathmandu time...if u can do the same thing with those cities, u'r my hero...

Cairo Time is an exquisite feast for the eyes, ears and eventually, the heart. Ruba Nadda takes us on a tour of Cairo which flows so well because it appears complete even down to such minute details such as showing street children selling bobby pins, a wild motorcycle driver nearly hitting the film's heroine, and Egyptian hit songs playing on a taxi's radio. In contrast with the high energy scenes of Cairo's bustling city life are dreamy, beautifully composed shots of the city's classical architecture, the Egyptian pyramids and The White Desert, all which give the impression that they are frozen in time. But, the time in Cairo Time is hardly stagnant. The film's stunning images, rich music and moving love story about a bored workaholic Canadian married woman whose passion for love and life is awoken by her relationship with a Egyptian man interplay so beautifully that the film appears seamless. Patricia Clarkson (Juliette) and Alexander Siddig (Tareq) convincingly play a couple whose professional relationship transforms into a love relationship over time. Both actors show off their fine acting skills by expressing the characters' love for each other through their subtle uses of body language and eye contact. Each views the other as a kind of "forbidden fruit", yet neither one can hide their desire for the other. The quiet intensity of their passion is almost deafening. Cairo Time works because it does so well what many other contemporary films don't do. It takes you to another place and time, one of the main reasons we go to the movies.

the movie was really good Um Kalthoum's great songs were amazing background music for the movie and Abdel Halim Hafez's too, the marvelous sites of Egypt and the sound of the Adan (the call for the Muslim prayer) all were fantastic...but as an Egyptian there were some stuff that were not realistic to me.

First was the accent of Tarek in the movie it wasn't Egyptian at all..

Second it only showed the crowded messed streets of Cairo and describing Cairo as "such a mess" disappointed me as an Egyptian living in Cairo, it didn't show the neat sites like Maadi, Heliopolis or Zamalek which the hotel supposed to be located at, which I believe must be a five stars hotel being by the Nile yet bizarrely the receptionists were not working at night which was extremely weird and doesn't happen at any place in the world!!!

Ruba Nadda wanted to convey a specific ancient image of Cairo but this can't be the whole image about Cairo now,, that movie would be realistic but 50 years ago..

Cairo Time is beautifully filmed - like a love poem to Egypt. I adored the slower pace of the movie because it felt like it gave me a chance to breathe, to enjoy the gorgeous scenery, and sink into the feeling of the movie. It was wonderfully nostalgic of many of the things I experienced on a trip to Egypt I took 2 years ago, and I found myself laughing out loud a few times, remembering.

I was also reminded of the allure of Egyptian men - yes, they are very obvious, in-your-face, and verbal to women, which I'm not used to as a Canadian woman. Yet paradoxically, many are very much gentlemen, cordial. I liked seeing this in Tareq's character, as he put Juliette on a pedestal which you really come to feel she deserves.

I also liked how the love story was actually quite innocent and told a story of pure love and appreciation for a fellow human being. It felt like it portrayed exactly those moments of stillness and deep feeling that we only share with select few in our lifetimes. Experiences that we recall with our eyes closed...like secret, subtle moments the heart remembers and cherishes.

I enjoyed seeing the movie, but it is hard to describe why in words. Is it the music, the scenes of Cairo, the magical pyramids, the performance of the actors, the unhurried pace? I don't know why I enjoyed the movie so much. Not one part of the movie is that spectacular. I grew up in the Middle East and heard the beautiful voice of Um Kalthoum a thousand times, encountered the sexual harassment on the streets and seen busy bazaars. Nothing in the movie was such a surprise for me. Yet somehow when you put all these elements together with the fantastic actors, it just works. I left movie theatre feeling uplifted and optimistic. The movie is visual poetry.