Assal Eswed

I saw this the first time by accident at a movie theater that had both English and Arabic language movies while in Doha. Because they always had trailers in both languages, I was kind of into the movie before I realized it wasn't a trailer and I was enjoying it and understood what was happening even though I only had "cab ride" level Arabic. I was able to follow the entire movie with no issue and it made me love Egypt a little bit more. I later saw it with an Arabic speaking family who answered a few questions, but it turned out that I had the entire plot down pretty well already. I would definitely watch this again and again if I could. I saw it a few weeks before the revolution. My Arabic students and friends clued me into the Egypt that tourists won't ever understand. Soon after the drama, I moved to Egypt for 6 months and came to love the place more deeply. The govt is again a hot mess (not unlike my own!) but the people are funny and sweet and hardworking and good. I think the movie shows the spirit of Masri people. Good, bad, and struggling to make the best of whatever their circumstances are.

I love how funny and real this movie is. the perfect movie to watch in a family gathering on a weekend.

I've been watching this movie since I was back home in Iraq, now I'm in the US and relate so much to it. Hilarious, and heartwarming!

When I was a child, I thought that this movie was a kind of comedy.. but it appears to be telling the real life of how Egyptians live and what are the differences between them and the other developing countries. Which turned that smiling face into a non-reaction one.

We attended Asal Eswed at a Maadi movie house around June 2010. I will never forget that the large audience watched attentively, laughed unanimously and behaved in an unusually mature way for local cinema goers. The film addresses real issues in an honest and refreshing way and is very funny and poignant also. As it preceded the revolution by about six months, it was in my mind later on that this film was one of the first signs that we were looking at a time of change in Egypt, so badly needed.

My 95 year old mother stood and wept at the end of the movie and declared that whoever made this film deserved a prize. I have watched this film several times and never tire of it, it is a classic, I believe, very relevant to us Egyptians and deeply meaningful. The traffic scene is wonderfully evocative of Egypt, as are many cameo moments, for example with the cassette/GPS repair man. The moment when the Egyptian passport is catapulted out of a hotel window is inspirational !

The film expresses the deep longings and frustrations of Egyptians desiring a freer happier life for themselves. Thank you Ahmed Helmy for this superb sincere film.