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Tarik Saleh put his hand on a timeless aspect of Egyptian politics: the power interplay between the political leaders (the military) and the religious figures (Al Azhar). Never has this sensitive issue been addressed before. Which is ironically the very reason why this movie fails.

The reason why this issue was not addressed by Egyptian cinema (or "Hollywood-sur-Nil" as some used to call it back in its glamorous days) is simple: censorship. Egyptian moviemakers and actors would not be allowed to talk about this taboo. Indeed, this movie will not be played in Egyptian cinemas.

The direct consequence is that only foreign moviemakers can get away with making a movie that tackles this sensitive issue. And this is where things go wrong.

The movie - understandably - fails to capture any Egyptian essence. Dialogues are unnatural. Characters and attitudes are artificial. Add to this the fact that the cast is virtually Egyptian-free (for the reasons described above). They are therefore incapable of smoothing the dialogues into something that feels more natural.

While Tarik Saleh is from Egyptian descent, it is obvious from this movie that his relation to Egypt is, alas, too tenuous to make a movie that delves so deep into Egyptian social, political and religious realities.

Nevertheless, I am aware that my issue with this movie will only be shared by the Egyptian public. Therefore, to the extent that Tarik Saleh considers Boy from Heaven to be a a picture about Egypt by foreign filmmakers to foreign viewers, I would cut him some slack.

Still, the movie is riddled with espionnage clichés. Whichever you can think of, you will find in Boy from Heaven. Egyptian classical music is played at unlikely places. Scene transitions are often abrupt, evidencing issues with the montage.

More than once, the movie did feel like an average film school student's graduation project.

Why the name change?

Anyway, the experience was absolutely beautiful. Seeing this at the premiere in Sweden where the director/writer Tarik Saleh could further explain his personal motivations and ideas around the story just made it so much special and as a Swede, I'm happy to see the culture of my Arabic neighbours being represented in such a masterfully crafted way. I could get the vibe of how a western film tells a story but also delve deep into a trance-like state for what family, tradition, symbolisism and religious perspectives and experiences are like.

The genre is of the captivated and serious kind, but also of the holy, which suits its original film title. Great casting, cinematography, pacing and story. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

I hope to see a lot more cultural representation from the middle east and collaborations in Sweden in the future. This might just be a really good taste of what's to come.

This movie is a picture of the state's entanglement in religious strata. For sure it isn't present only in ranks of Islam, but also in the other religions and media usually shows the other picture to the masses, but hide the truth. Here we see the fanatical corners of Islam and how an innocent person, in thoughts that he is giving a help and support for a good matter, falls too deep into something about which he has no idea, cause he learned something else. However, you can see a good filmmaking with all those obstacles and traps one thriller should have followed with amazing cast, where the actor(Barhom) of the main protagonist gives us a big enigma at the end.

Boy from Heaven is not an easy watch but it is unusual, inspiring and fascinating in its portrayal of a world unknown to most non-Muslims. It creates an atmosphere both sacred and threatening and the main character, in his tortured vulnerability and innate purity, is a compelling watch. It was by far my favourite movie at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Every scene is rivetting as the plot becomes more and more dangerous for our young hero: life here is cheap and political influence all important. The film is a visual delight and the cinematography excellent. Above all, it is full of pauses and silence, reflective silence, giving the viewer time to catch their breath in the midst of the brutal reality of life at the spiritual university. This is truly a great movie!

If you are not Muslim, chances are you never heard about Al Azhar, which is a university teaching the Islam Sciences since 970 in Cairo, Egypt. They are the ones electing the Great Imam, and have been fully independent from the government since the very beginning. Governments have tried to get into it for centuries, to no avail. The movie starts with the Great Imam dying, and the government's attempt to choose who will be the next one, preferably on the government's side. You follow Adam, a young man who just arrived from his small village to learn about Islam. He gets involved in a situation that gets worse with every decision he makes, but he somehow still continues to learn about Islam between his investigations, prayers, and lack of sleep. He seems like a very pious guy, not understanding what he is getting himself into, and looks lost most of the time. The movie is a bit slow however, and could have used a bit more rhythm or maybe just to be shorter.