Attia (Yehia al-Fakharani) works as a simple employee, after his mother-in-law threatens to break his engagement from her daughter because of his delay in getting an apartment. He travels to his hometown to sell his inheritance. There he falls in love with Kharyia (Leila Alawi) daughter of Kamal Bey (Farid Shawki) who bought his land.
Direction
Khan's documentary-style realism makes Cairo breathe.
Acting
El-Fakharani's everyman desperation is genuinely heartbreaking.
Director
Mohamed Khan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Khan was pioneer of Egyptian 'realist cinema,' filming on location without permits — this guerrilla energy seeps into every frame.
The apartment crisis remains devastatingly relevant in Cairo today; this 1984 film could be set yesterday.
EG
