by Joseph Davis, Contributing Writer
For this month’s Out of Market, I did a bit of searching for some areas of the world I haven’t concentrated on as much yet. I’ve touched on European and Asian cinema, which continues to be a reliable source of movies, and even some South American films, but I have yet to look into cinema from the Middle East or Africa. In my search, I decided to settle upon an Egyptian film I had not heard of before, but which has high regard in terms of my research into the movie itself: Cairo Station, or Bāb al-Hadīd. Directed by Youssef Chahine, who also appears in the film as one of the central roles, I decided to take a chance on this film, especially as it was filmed and released in a transformative period of Egypt’s modern history.
Trigger warning: there are moments in this film that do depict violence against women. Viewer discretion is advised.
Probably the main thing that I really like about this movie is less to do with the main story, and more the depiction of how the world around the characters are changing in the time of the film’s events. With it occurring in the station, you get to see people from various walks of life coming and going. You see people who are embracing new ideas and norms, and alongside them those who either feel the new social changes will lead to damnation or could undercut the financial standings that they’ve built for themselves as others attempt to unionize. Everywhere in every generation has these battles of new against old, those in charge against those seeking a better life, and to see this in a microcosm of a single location seems to amplify it all the more. Honestly, I wish that this had been the main singular focus of this film, as opposed to one of a few main threads that are being pulled. It still works well, and the setting fits for each of the thread, but at a runtime less than 90 minutes, I just am left wishing there was more time to explore society in a rapidly evolving country.
The next thing I want to discuss is the characters. I honestly really like the majority of the characters we get to see. For example, we have Abu Siri (Farid Shawqi), a headstrong employee at the station who is fighting to form a Union to improve work conditions at the station and to ensure a better living, alongside his equally headstrong fiancé Hanuma (Hindi Rustum). I like both of these characters in their own ways; they draw attention and command the screen in their own ways, and they both serve almost as the central driving force on each level of the plot. There is also the man in charge of the station finding every way to try and discredit Abu Siri, the drink vendor constantly thwarted by Hannuma, and finally the news vendor who gives our final main lead Qinawi (Youssef Chahie himself) a job selling newspapers, and ultimately who sets the events in motion. Qinawi also fascinates me as a central character concept. He’s someone who culturally is in the background, almost an afterthought, and we get to see everything going on from his perspective. It’s unconventional in a way, and while I’m not a fan of how the character of Qinawi is portrayed, I do like the idea of a character who might usually go unnoticed being a focus of the audience to see the world.
Honestly, I have one major negative in this film. It could be that I’m looking at it through modern eyes, my own personal opinions, or something else, but I honestly do not like how Qinawi develops through the movie. I can understand the decision behind it by Chahine, but the fact he’s driven to his actions by repression and rejection bothers me. It does its job to get the point across that he is a troubled individual who is driven mad by his mistreatment, but I feel like it would be better served if that mistreatment wasn’t that of a man who won’t take no for an answer and, upon being rejected, decides that no one can have the person. It ultimately leaves a sour taste for me, even if I understand the choices and how it ultimately ties the plot together, especially when Hanuma’s fiancé himself shows abusive tendencies himself.
Ultimately, while this movie does have aspects I’m glad we’ve mostly gone away from, I’d consider recommending it to an American audience due to how it depicts life during a pivotal period of a country’s history. While it may not go into detail about some of the major events of the day, the good aspects of the story do outweigh the bad enough for it to be an enjoyable watch and worth getting the artistic value out of this one.
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