The father (Sayed Badreya) has moved to the US 40 years ago from Egypt,
the son (Mico Saad) has lived her all his life, has taken on Western
habits and culture, and has never been to Egypt - so has little
understanding for his dad still caring about, of all things, his former
hometown Port Said's soccer team and constantly complaining about their
seemingly constant losing streak, which makes the son believe the father
lives in the past - and things have to come to a head before they can get
better ... At less than 10 minutes, and being completely
improvised by its two actors, Al-Masry Life manages to cover a lot
of ground, from generational conflict to culture clash, and resolve it
all, at least on an intimate level - and that all thanks to two very
natural and compelling performances, and to the very beautiful camerawork
by Shakeel Bin Afzal that manages to give its images meaning that
complement rather than overpower the dialogue. Well worth a watch for
sure!
|