Cairo Time
3/4
Starring: Patricia Clarkson, Alexander Siddig
Rated PG for Mild Thematic Elements and Smoking
The joy of watching a romance is falling in love with the characters as they fall in love with each other. For that to happen, two things need to happen: character development and chemistry. Often times, movies are too afraid of losing their audience that they fill the movie up with ridiculous and formulaic plot contortions instead of letting the characters be themselves ("How Stella Got Her Groove Back" suffered from this problem). With "Cairo Time," writer/director Ruba Nadda employs a minimalist plot that serves only to allow her two leads to spend time together.
Juliette (Clarkson) is the wife of a UN diplomat who is meeting her husband in Cairo for a vacation. When she gets there, a former co-worker of her husband tells her that he has been delayed in Gaza. This man is Tareq (Siddig), who tells her to call him if she needs anything. With her husband being away for the near future and not so subtle sexual harassment by the local men, Juliette decides to call Tareq. They get along quite well, and it isn't long before a new, deeper bond forms.
Anyone who has traveled to a foreign country will be able to sympathize with Juliette. Although you're surrounded by human beings, you still feel like an alien from another planet. The feeling of being lost is inescapable. I remember feeling like that when I toured Turkey and Macedonia a few years back. It's not a very comfortable feeling, and it doesn't go away even if you're with people you know. So it's helpful to someone like Juliette to have a nice, kind gentleman like Tareq as a guide. He's polite, patient and chivalrous. Juliette doesn't stand a chance.
Patricia Clarkson is sometimes called the "Indie Film Queen," and although she has gained some mainstream acceptance (courtesy of an Oscar nomination), she's more at home in small-budget movies like this. Clarkson is the ideal "everywoman." Juliette has no weird quirks or oddities; she's not an anti-social misfit and she doesn't mind going with the flow. Despite its low budget, there's no sign of any Wes Anderson or his worshipful imitators. Thank God for that.
I've never been a big fan of Alexander Siddig. He's a character actor, and as such is relegated to bit parts. I did notice him in "Vertical Limit," although for all the wrong reasons. But in "Cairo Time," he is given a rare lead opportunity. Not only is he excellent in the role, he causes Clarkson to fade into the background. A very impressive feat.
The only real flaw with the movie is a poor choice of a cinematographer. Luc Montpellier films the scenes in like a gritty crime movie. Although it doesn't really hamper the romance, I couldn't help thinking it could have been a lot better if Nadda had chosen a warmer mood.
You know you're watching a good romance when you feel cheated by the montages. The chemistry between Clarkson and Siddig burns nicely and it's carefully developed by Nadda. The film contains no sex of any kind (the furthest the film goes is a misread cue that leads to a kiss), and the film is all the better for it. In this story, it's unnecessary. Nadda focuses on the characters, and showing them making love would not only be out of character for the both of them, it would take away precious scenes of them together. You know you've got a winner when you'd rather see the characters talk than sleep together.
Starring: Patricia Clarkson, Alexander Siddig
Rated PG for Mild Thematic Elements and Smoking
The joy of watching a romance is falling in love with the characters as they fall in love with each other. For that to happen, two things need to happen: character development and chemistry. Often times, movies are too afraid of losing their audience that they fill the movie up with ridiculous and formulaic plot contortions instead of letting the characters be themselves ("How Stella Got Her Groove Back" suffered from this problem). With "Cairo Time," writer/director Ruba Nadda employs a minimalist plot that serves only to allow her two leads to spend time together.
Juliette (Clarkson) is the wife of a UN diplomat who is meeting her husband in Cairo for a vacation. When she gets there, a former co-worker of her husband tells her that he has been delayed in Gaza. This man is Tareq (Siddig), who tells her to call him if she needs anything. With her husband being away for the near future and not so subtle sexual harassment by the local men, Juliette decides to call Tareq. They get along quite well, and it isn't long before a new, deeper bond forms.
Anyone who has traveled to a foreign country will be able to sympathize with Juliette. Although you're surrounded by human beings, you still feel like an alien from another planet. The feeling of being lost is inescapable. I remember feeling like that when I toured Turkey and Macedonia a few years back. It's not a very comfortable feeling, and it doesn't go away even if you're with people you know. So it's helpful to someone like Juliette to have a nice, kind gentleman like Tareq as a guide. He's polite, patient and chivalrous. Juliette doesn't stand a chance.
Patricia Clarkson is sometimes called the "Indie Film Queen," and although she has gained some mainstream acceptance (courtesy of an Oscar nomination), she's more at home in small-budget movies like this. Clarkson is the ideal "everywoman." Juliette has no weird quirks or oddities; she's not an anti-social misfit and she doesn't mind going with the flow. Despite its low budget, there's no sign of any Wes Anderson or his worshipful imitators. Thank God for that.
I've never been a big fan of Alexander Siddig. He's a character actor, and as such is relegated to bit parts. I did notice him in "Vertical Limit," although for all the wrong reasons. But in "Cairo Time," he is given a rare lead opportunity. Not only is he excellent in the role, he causes Clarkson to fade into the background. A very impressive feat.
The only real flaw with the movie is a poor choice of a cinematographer. Luc Montpellier films the scenes in like a gritty crime movie. Although it doesn't really hamper the romance, I couldn't help thinking it could have been a lot better if Nadda had chosen a warmer mood.
You know you're watching a good romance when you feel cheated by the montages. The chemistry between Clarkson and Siddig burns nicely and it's carefully developed by Nadda. The film contains no sex of any kind (the furthest the film goes is a misread cue that leads to a kiss), and the film is all the better for it. In this story, it's unnecessary. Nadda focuses on the characters, and showing them making love would not only be out of character for the both of them, it would take away precious scenes of them together. You know you've got a winner when you'd rather see the characters talk than sleep together.
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