A king swaps places with a drunk dreamer—what could possibly go wrong? (Everything. Beautifully.)
The play tells the story of a king who is bored with the ruling. He decides to disguise himself and his minister in search of entertainment among the public. He meets a bankrupt merchant who spends his time in wine and delirium and dreams of being king. The king decides to wear his clothes and make him the king of the day until he laughs at this strange scene. That the merchant is the king, including the queen and the palace guards, and the merchant discovers a plot to overthrow the rule that day, which entrench him more above his chair, and finds the king himself a victim of a recreational game.
Acting
Salah El-Saadany's king-to-beggar transformation is devastating.
Direction
Mourad Mounir stages power like a closing fist.
Writing
Based on Tawfiq al-Hakim's existentialist play.
Director
Mourad Mounir
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Adapts Tawfiq al-Hakim's 1939 play, a cornerstone of modern Arabic theatre that interrogates colonial and indigenous power structures.
Filmed during Egypt's political stagnation, the merchant's refusal to relinquish power mirrors real anxieties about leadership and legitimacy.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
EG
