Asmaa

During years and years of watching and tuning into a movie addict; I got used to movie stories, Director methods, editing and cinematography styles and twists but every now and then; a movie comes and challenge all that.

It doesn't really challenge it with the new effects and methods provided, but with the story building, characters and the heart investment in that movie.

And that's what happened with the movie "Asmaa" a movie that came to retrieve my own faith in the Arabic and Egyptian Cinema. The movie was basically an independent effort to resurrect a dead story and give life to that thrown newspaper or medical files that once held the details of a real human being that lived upon us.

The true story was reborn again through the camera and imagination of its Director (Amr Salama) and the people working on this movie; as we see (Asmaa – brilliantly portrayed by Hind Sabry) a woman who accepted what was written in her Faith dealing with the HIV virus however trying hard to protect and survive her surrounding through her good yet stubborn heart and mind.

Through the shaking camera movement the director toke us on a journey telling the story of a woman who fought her way delivering her message through the colorful scenes that reflected on smiling tearful faces of the audience just before taking us back to that awful truth that people trying to ignore or deal with it with judgment before finding the solution.

A great portray of the Egyptian (and Middle Eastern) society and its way of dealing with a matter that is considered to be out side the box or consideration.

It's hard to go deeper with this movie description without rescuing any spoilers in this story that was full of raw human emotions.

A great salute to each person who worked on this movie and for delivering such a message to ask each one of us; a love letter to look at our own reflections before judging what is around us.

When you find out this movie is about an HIV positive woman, you expect a depressing movie. But when you actually watch this film, you get positive energy, optimism, and a wonderful feeling. This is cinema as it should be: wonderfully written and beautifully directed. The lead actors are amazing. Hind Sabry is more believable as a lower class woman than so many Egyptian actresses. Kedwany's performance is a treat. The cinematography, the music, and art direction are all top class. The way the story is structured with the back and forth movement through the timeline keeps you on your toes all the time, with an amazing surprise twist at the end. All in all, an amazing film that is a must see.

AIDS may be the fuel in Asmaa's engine, but director/writer Amr Salama doesn't hesitate to take on board the position of Muslim women in society, following on from Cairo 678, which was also produced by Egypt's New Century.

As such, international interest will perhaps initially be led by the Diaspora, but the issues of the Arab Spring regarding personal empowerment in a changing society are also explored in this film, and should attract interest. Salama, who collaborated on Tahrir 2011: The Good The Bad And The Politician, blends a populist approach and pacy tricks - much cross-cutting and colour coding - with more subtle emotional notes in this story which is partly based on a real-life tale which had a far more tragic outcome.

Salama wrote Asmaa's script with actress Hend Sabry in mind, and she makes the most of the opportunity to deliver a strong lead performance as Asmaa, a 45-year-old woman living in Cairo with her father Hosni (Sayed Ragab) and daughter Habiba (Fatma Adel).

In a dramatic introduction, Asmaa is wheeled into an operating theatre where she is urged to stay quiet. Salama intercuts this with a support group meeting for AIDS sufferers, where it emerges that Asmaa is a-symptomatic but will die from a gall bladder complaint if doctors continue to refuse to treat her because of her HIV-positive condition. And refuse, they do.

Asmaa, a humble and devout Muslim widow, works as a cleaner in Cairo airport and struggles to support her family; her daughter does not know anything of her mother's plight and stays out late at night, while her father never leaves the couch. Flashbacks begin to paint a picture of stubborn Asmaa's humble rural background as a carpet weaver and doomed marriage to Mossaad (Hany Adel), but whatever the situation she finds herself in, the increasingly-ill Asmaa is resolute in her refusal to reveal how she contracted the virus.

Asmaa is offered a chance to change things - for herself, and perhaps for others - by appearing on a powerful TV chat show hosted by Mohsen (Maged El Kedwany); the producers tell her that if she makes a personal plea, a doctor may step forward and volunteer to operate. There is one condition however: Mohsen insists she shows her face.

This will-she or won't-she tension helps propel Asmaa forward over some troublesome moments of high drama, particularly in Asmaa's home village, and Salama keeps a firm hand on the edit whenever the pace threatens to slacken, cross-cutting back to Cairo and a budding potential romance with fellow patient Shafiq. Strong visual motifs such as Asmaa's highly-coloured past, the greys of modern-day Cairo, and the warm orange hues of the support group, can be a little over-played, however, but Asmaa makes its points clearly and firmly, reminding us that the issue of AIDS still has many borders to cross

Painful as the severity of this disease, a wonderful plot and a perfect performance from the movie's heroes. The director's cinematography choices were annoying at the beginning of the film, but the story and narration of events justified them. The most studied flashback in Egyptian cinema. Hind is a genius and Maged El Kedwany is the jewel in the crown. It seems that the director studied the aids more than the specialists, and presented a masterpiece that is still relevant despite the passage of time. May God have mercy on the real character of the original story and accept him into eternal paradise.

Wonderful film from Egypt that is definitely amongst the better I have seen. It really makes me appreciate civilized society as screwed up as it is. In Cairo, people fear for their lives if they carry the AIDS virus. Asmaa was a strong woman, not afraid to stand up to a man in public, something so forbidden in Islamic culture. Things change and she becomes HIV positive. Her fear for her life is not from dying from AIDS, but potentially being killed if she's found out. Society is scared of people like her. Not only would she face ridicule and perhaps stoning but another problem is she will die without a simple gall bladder operation. The real woman this is based on did. Doctors there are woefully ignorant of the disease, obviously those who did not study in a western culture in modern universities; they're often unwilling to treat HIV/AIDS patients for other illnesses. In steps a savior who hopefully will help get Asmaa the treatment she needs and deserves as a human being. The film is not without is flaws, unfortunately – a couple unplayed out story lines and issues not discussed in depth enough give less background than could have been provided. Still I was so very able to empathize with our protagonist and feel what this movie is all about – equal rights, HIV or not! Middle Eastern Islamic culture needs to step out of the stone age in many ways. This is just one more way how people are treated so appallingly.

8.3 / 10 stars

--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener