A dancer, a student, and a drug ring walk into a club — 1981 Cairo chaos ensues.
Hoda loves Waheed, the student, who lives in one of the apartments in the building owned by her mother. Waheed gets to know Hassouna and Salama, who live in the same house. As for their colleague Shawqi, he gets to know the dancer Ashjan, who takes advantage of his naivety and uses him in drug smuggling operations with her lover Hamza. Waheed, Hassouna and Salama go to the club with Shawky, so Ashjan admires Waheed, and they meet again. The police chase Hamza, who arrives at Ashjan's house and is surprised by the presence of Waheed. Ashjan refuses to run away with Hamza.
Acting
Nahed Sherif owns every frame as manipulative dancer Ashjan.
Production
Gritty 1981 Cairo locations feel uncomfortably real.
Writing
Messy intersecting lives that accidentally critique class.
Director
Zaky Saleh
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
1981 Egyptian cinema often used 'fallen women' as moral warnings while secretly making them the most compelling characters.
Director Zaky Saleh was known for socially conscious thrillers that slipped past censors by wrapping critique in melodrama.
EG
