Luxor

I am always excited to see a film set in Luxor, and there were some beautiful shots and nice moments. I have to say, I agree with most of the reviews on here. This is a film where nothing happens. I've been watching a lot of Egyptian cinema, and this film is very un-Egyptian in that there is no passion, no intensity, no chemistry, no sizzle. I know this is the way the director wanted it to be. But for me it was disappointing. To say it is understated is- an understatement. We want to know the story between the lovers, what happened - we are never told it. Did they just give up on their love? When they meet again, where is the passion? Where is the feeling? Andrea Riseborough is playing the role of someone badly traumatised, and she plays it well. But Karim Saleh just seems smooth and American, I don't see the Egyptian character in him at all... not my experience of Egypt. A couple of things that really annoyed me: we are told, its pronounced Abide-os. NO! Its A-bid-os. How could they do that? And they neglect to mention its the place of Osiris. We don't hear the old lady's reading, which makes it seem as though traditional healers (of which there are many) are a waste of time. Not very respectful... I love all things Egyptian, but this is not it. These people seem cold, aloof, English and restrained. I found it quite frustrating.

So the second film of this years London Sundance Film Festival is Luxor and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a British Aid Worker return to Egypt where she spent plenty of time, she tries to get past her dark past by meeting an old lover.

Main Character Andrea Riseborough is a good actress and she plays the lead here and she does a good job. It is a pretty physical performance that she is a woman of few words and uses her body language to emote how she is feeling. Though there are a few great scenes where you see the emotion poor out of her and it really makes you care about her as a person.

Supporting Characters As I mentioned there is a love interest here and I didn't really care for him as a character, I just felt there wasn't much chemistry between him and Riseborough which did hurt their story arc, mainly because the film doesn't give you much reason to care about him. I mean there are a few other people in the film but they are given no time or depth to work with so really this is a one woman show.

Story The story is a slow burn, it does a good job of showing this woman in turmoil internally and seeing how she copes with the horror of the world is interesting and is risen up because of the quality of the lead performance. But I must be honest not a lot happens here, the film just doesn't really have much going on and it really can be quite tedious at times which hurts the overall story.

Script The script has some okay moments in it, there are some real dramatic scenes here that are elevated by Risebourough's great performance here. But this script doesn't do anything to really stand out, in fact there isn't actually that much dialogue at times which makes this film feel longer then it is.

Style The film looks very nice, it shows the scenery very well and the fact that the film takes place in Egypt gives this film a really nice background for the film. But this film is just incredibly slow and just a bit boring, it is less then 90 minutes but honestly feels at least 2 hours if not longer.

Overall Overall, I found this to be a very average film. I imagine if you dislike mainstream cinema and big action films then maybe you will like this but I would say it isn't worth the time.

Rating - 5/10.

Set in the ancient Egyptian city, Luxor is almost portrayed as a silent documentary. Director Zeina Durra constantly has the camera leading or following. Down tight Egyptian streets. Through majestic ruins. Ahead of Hana, who is endlessly wandering; her thoughts leagues before her. Luxor is a contemplative movie, and Durra's slow pacing accentuates that study.

To the movie's benefit, Durra beautifully displays the archeological wonders of the city. From the Temples of Karnak and Luxor itself, to the Winter Palace hotel, Durra showcases a part of the world that thanks to COVID and the outgoing Presidency's relationship with Arab affairs, remains an unvisited destination to many Americans. However, even Rick Steve's tourism videos jump to a snappier beat.

Hana is a British aid worker returning to Luxor on holiday. Scarred from scenes of an unmentioned battlefront, Hana wanders the quiet city alone until she runs into Sultan, an archaeologist and former lover. Sultan is totally Indiana Jones looking to rekindle that affair with the feisty Marion. Hana would rather play the hard-to-get Willie and has no time for love, Dr. Jones. She is shellshock and is hoping the mystery of the ancient world resets her ability to again see hope.

Luxor is 90 minutes of Hana walking, wondering, wanting. Durra slowly provides details to Hana's life, but those little points become lost in the stagnant plot while the biggest mystery remains unanswered. If Hana so desperately wishes to move beyond her former life, why return to the city where she knows her former boyfriend works? Lots of wonderful ruins in Ireland that are aching to be visited.

Luxor is not meant to be a riotous rom com, but perhaps it should have been. The slow, piercing character study of a film is a worthy genre, yet Hana's story has no true resolution. Her solemn attitude is frustrating as she cannot decipher the beauty that is all around her. What could have been a majestic tragedy is instead as dry and dusty as a desert road.

This film is now like a national geographic show. It showcases Egyptian history, but there's no plot. The two leads are wooden and have no chemistry at all. I found it very boring.

As being an Egyptian, I was curious to see this film, since it's very rare to see a foreign movie that depicts Middle East, without the usual stereotype of Arabs being terrorists or still riding camels!!! Sadly this film missed a great opportunity, to use the majestic and historical setting of Luxor to convey any meaningful story of any kind. I don't know what the filmmaker Zeina Durra had in mind when she wanted to make this film, but this is really very pointless and forgettable. Despite the beautiful scenery of Pharaonic monuments and the breathtaking nile view, there is no story. The lead actress Andrea Riseborough walks around in oversized cloth through Luxor and running into an old flame, and that's it. Also her recent films this year (The Grudge, Possessor) she's been doing the same vague and depressed person who feels lifeless and cold. Karim Saleh was okay, but since there is no story and meaningful script, his character doesn't have much to go with. All the situations taking place don't serve any purpose, and are unrelated to anything else. But I do have to say, that the director conveyed a true picture of Luxor, without any exaggeration or fake elements, except for some notes, like when the two lead characters sometimes walk into a temple, and it's like they're completely alone, usually there have to be other tourists walking around. Also when Sultan's character was talking to his Egyptian coworker, why does she speak to him in English!!! I wish this film was worthy of the place it was shot in, but sadly it failed in achieving any meaningful thing, except showing the beauty of Luxor to those who aren't familiar with it.