El Medina - Die Stadt

Shown in Australia as "The City", this exceptional film is an excellently written story.

The main character "Ali" (Bassem Samra),is a young accountancy graduate with a passion for acting. He leaves Egypt for France in the hope he might find an acting career and a better life. But his dreams infuriate his father who wants him to move to Saudi Arabia and become rich. In France Ali meets Roschdy, who helps him find work, accommodation and gets him a fake ID. But his life becomes a constant battle in more ways than one as he struggles to hide his real identity.

Though this was apparently filmed on 35mm film, it does come across at different times as though it was filmed on someone's home video and so you do get the feeling you are watching an amateur production. However there is some excellent acting from Samra who captures the essence of the role and his supporting cast offer strong back-up.

Well worth the time to watch, I share the loneliness of "Ali" in his time in France as a foreigner in a unwelcoming country.

A well rounded story where our hero finds his true self in end. Excellent viewing.