

A retiree's dying wish? A newspaper obituary. His weapon? Emotional blackmail.
As a man reaches the age of retirement, his only fear is to die without having an obituary published in a newspaper, so he asks the doorman to promise to fulfill his wish.
Acting
Farid Shawqy's desperate, dignity-clinging performance
Direction
El Alami's patient observation of social ritual

Director
Yehia El Alami
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
1980s Egyptian cinema frequently explored modernization erasing traditional social structures, with newspaper obituaries representing new bourgeois status symbols replacing community-based mourning rituals.
Farid Shawqy, Egypt's 'King of Comedy,' deliberately sought this dramatic role to subvert his established persona; critics initially rejected the film for lacking his signature humor.
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