A journalist sells his soul for success while his friend keeps his—guess which one suffers?
The story of friendship on the eve of the free officers' revolution: Youssef, an unprincipled journalist, whose star rises thanks to his connections, and Shawki, an idealist man committed to social justice
Acting
Kamal Al-Shenawy's slippery charm makes you root against yourself.
Direction
Kamal El Sheikh frames moral rot with devastating visual poetry.
Writing
A friendship dissolution more brutal than any romance.
Director
Kamal El Sheikh
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made just 16 years after the 1952 revolution, this was Egyptian cinema's rare public autopsy of the Free Officers' legacy.
The 'shadow' refers to both Youssef's literal lost reflection and his hollowed-out humanity—Kamal El Sheikh loved his visual metaphors loud and clear.
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