678

The Egyptian movie, [678], which covers the subject of sexual harassment, is famous enough in Egypt today as it is. I must admit, from watching just the trailer, I took note of the genius performance and superb artistic delivery, but I also got the impression that the presentation may be overdramatizing the subject, or emotionally taking the side of women in a biased & exaggerated way, or completely ignoring the effect of the sometimes sexually provocative presentation of women when it happens in a society like the Egyptian one—this impression couldn't be more wrong. What I found while watching the movie was one of the most heartwarming and pleasant surprises I've ever come across in the history of Egyptian cinema; no exaggeration, my friend. 678 draws you into a fascinatingly complex, interconnected, and rich world. 678 allows you to meet—and literally live with—such fresh, yet believable characters. 678 turns your head toward a bitter reality, in a harsh real world, yet soothes you with regular chuckles, and keeps you interested, bothered, engaged, and hopeful.

Every main cast member did a great job in my opinion, but I must say that Bushra clearly stands out; and I'm don't want to disappoint—or be unfair to—other cast members, especially Nelly Kareem with a main character, by saying that this is only due to Bushra's genius performance; Bushra's performance was indeed fascinating, but she was also very lucky, because the other genius, Muhammad Diab, the writer and director of 678, gave Bushra his best character! Faiza, the character that Bushra plays, like a sad yet powerful tune in a beautiful song, is an unprecedented character in Egyptian cinema; and I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said that Faiza may revolutionize Egyptian cinema, or be the spark of such a creative, artistic revolution, where the voice of the observant Muslim for the first time ever gets delivered honestly, neutrally, fairly, and in a balanced and beautiful way. Faiza is one of the most believable characters I've ever gotten to know in a story, and easily my favorite hero in 678's world; and I thank the two geniuses, Muhammad Diab and Bushra, for giving us and giving Egyptian cinema—and the world—such a memorable, lovable, and very real character.

Diab managed to turn Faiza into an irresistibly charming, unlikely hero (or heroine!), with all her ups & downs, good deeds & mistakes, kindness & anger, loudness & silence, courage & fear; simply put, Faiza is so perfectly imperfect. Even her arguments with her husband were believable and convincing—within the context of the Egyptian society and that social class; and Diab did not take sides, and did not try to emotionally blackmail you into taking sides either. In many situations, Diab makes you wonder who to blame—if you are a balanced person yourself and you can empathize with the culture, religion and challenges; makes it challenging for you to be biased, and thus subtly invites you to appreciate the complexity and individual challenges in this realistic world.

The only truly "bad guy" in 678 is the sexual harasser; Diab's message is clear about this, especially because he shows you the far reaching effects and chain reaction that the harasser's actions go through to eventually produce so much misery and evil within society; but Diab also makes at least one subtle hint to discourage you from completely demonizing the harasser, and to send the message that almost any human being is fallible. Diab also doesn't shy away from shocking you (and his best character, Faiza!) by giving a minority of women a share of the blame; while empowering all women throughout the movie to take a courageous share of the responsibility of curing society of the phenomenon of sexual harassment.

If you will watch one movie to understand a bit about the Egyptian society—as it is today, without exaggerations or embellishment, in ways that focus on the phenomenon of sexual harassment, yet still ooze with variety, and ways that dig much deeper and beyond socially and emotionally; if you will watch one movie to see a believable example of a simple observant Muslim woman, struggling with real issues in her own society, a movie that doesn't even expose any actress (or your eyes) to violence, rape, or the likes, while simultaneously making what is happening clear to you with such elegance and genius; if you will watch one foreign movie that does not take sides when it comes to religion or gender, makes it challenging for you to take sides when you see how these people think and treat each other, a movie that tackles serious issues rationally and intelligently; then this one movie is 678. Find it; and watch it! Watch it this weekend.

—Yaseen Rocca

Cairo 678 is a story of three women of different social background who found themselves victimized of sexual harassment. The movie is important because it talks about sexual harassment in a country like Egypt and thus depicts that sexual harassment does exist in the countries that claim to be conservative.

The strongest point of the movie is it never loses its momentum. Not a single moment you will feel that the story is being pulled. The screenplay runs in full flow. The fantastic work of light/shadow and enchanting background music make it even more attractive.

Everyone acted in this film did justice to their characters. Bosra (who played Fayza) and Maged El Kedwany won the awards for best actress and actor respectably in 2008 Dubai International Film Festival. I personally liked the acting of Nahed El Sebai (who played Nelly) most. She had a comparatively smaller screen presence yet she delivered an excellent performance.

This movie is not only about Cairo, it is about every city and village where women are facing sexual harassment everyday. This movie does not promote violent reaction against harassment, it tells us to speak up against what is wrong. Kudos to Mohamed Diab and the whole unit of 678 for this masterpiece.

This movie has a strong message but it takes forever to deliver it.

CAIRO 6,7,8:

Mohamed Diab, the director should be congratulated for this gripping presentation of the silent humiliation suffered by Egyptian women and the courage of three women in fighting back against all odds. If Fayza's simple step brings he system to the point of examining its flaws, Seba and Nelly garner the much needed support to provide a platform for the voice of the suffering women. The sound track is excellent and the editing is superb, providing the best support to the clear and commendable cinematography. All the characters have acted so well, it looks as if it is happening in our presence. One of the best films destined to change the perspective of the society in the way it allows such gross injustice to go unpunished. The end is dramatic and deeply touching, adding a feather in the director's cap.

Three women of different social backgrounds decide to fight back after being the victims of repeated assaults by men in the street or in the bus. This movie manages to address the delicate issue of sexual assaults on women in a very interesting way: each character has a unique standpoint and no moral judgment is imposed in the end. There is a little zest of comedy in the tragedy, some truly powerful and positive moments, and despite some stereotypical characters, the film avoids caricature. The three heroines are credible and endearing. Their relationships with men are complex, and it is hard not to ask yourself: What would I do if I faced the same challenges as they face? A perfect movie to watch on 8 March... International Women's Day.