We have all emerged from our respective summers of fun and re-entered the world of cinema. We were thrilled to be back at the Angelika Film Center in Plano where we dined on our favorite theater snacks - soda and popcorn.
Perhaps we were fidgety after our busy summer activities but Cairo Time starring Patricia Clarkson was a slow moving, quiet film that left us wanting something more.
Written and directed by filmmaker Ruba Nadda, Cairo Time was set against the beautiful backdrop of Cairo Egypt where Nadda allowed the visual and audio delights of the city to seduce the viewer. The loud, hot bustling city was colorful and one could almost smell the street foods wafting through the crowded alleyways.
Patricia Clarkson plays Juliette Grant who arrives in Cairo to meet her husband who is a diplomat so bogged down with work he has to send his friend – Cairo native Tareq to pick her up at the aiport. While waiting for her husband to arrive, Juliet attempts to discover the city on her own. We found it surprising that she, as an educated woman and wife of a career diplomat, wouldn’t know how to dress in a Muslim city. Was this an intentional move of the director to show her as naïve? It didn’t seem possible to us that a woman would be so unprepared. As a result, she casually strolls through the city streets in sleeveless, low cut tops and skirts – baring her skin in a culture that is not used to seeing it. Of course, she invites some unwanted approaches from the local men and finally has to recruit Tareq to accompany her on her sightseeing trips.
Juliette is a quiet and seemingly introspective woman. After two achingly frustrating weeks of waiting, she starts to realize that she is really enjoying Tareq’s friendship and though it isn’t obvious; a chemisty is brewing.
We believe the movie’s title was a hint of the way things are in Cairo – pretty slow. If you like a snail’s pace romantic drama that pairs two distinctly different cultures as the main thrust of the story line, then you will enjoy this film.
Tareg was played by Alexander Siddig and we found him to be quite charming and vulnerable. His portrayal of a single man falling in love with a married American woman was deeply touching.
Though lovely cinematography, the story didn’t keep us engaged and so we rate this film a 2 out of 5.
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