Garoto dos Céus

Why the name change?

Anyway, the experience was absolutely beautiful. Seeing this at the premiere in Sweden where the director/writer Tarik Saleh could further explain his personal motivations and ideas around the story just made it so much special and as a Swede, I'm happy to see the culture of my Arabic neighbours being represented in such a masterfully crafted way. I could get the vibe of how a western film tells a story but also delve deep into a trance-like state for what family, tradition, symbolisism and religious perspectives and experiences are like.

The genre is of the captivated and serious kind, but also of the holy, which suits its original film title. Great casting, cinematography, pacing and story. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

I hope to see a lot more cultural representation from the middle east and collaborations in Sweden in the future. This might just be a really good taste of what's to come.

Boy from Heaven is not an easy watch but it is unusual, inspiring and fascinating in its portrayal of a world unknown to most non-Muslims. It creates an atmosphere both sacred and threatening and the main character, in his tortured vulnerability and innate purity, is a compelling watch. It was by far my favourite movie at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Every scene is rivetting as the plot becomes more and more dangerous for our young hero: life here is cheap and political influence all important. The film is a visual delight and the cinematography excellent. Above all, it is full of pauses and silence, reflective silence, giving the viewer time to catch their breath in the midst of the brutal reality of life at the spiritual university. This is truly a great movie!

I like it when films shake the foundations of real life supremacy, this film is one of them. The subject matter is a hot topic and a very controversial one, which is why Tarik Saleh, the filmmaker, is persona non grata in Egypt, and the film was shot in Turkey although it is meant to portray the Azhar Mosque.

This is the story of Adam, the son of a fisherman who gets a letter of approval from the Azhar mosque to join their ranks, coincidentally the Imam. Trouble is brewing in the heels of appointing the next Imam!

This is a well made film with a well-made screenplay and memorable performances from the lead actor.

This movie has shaken Egypt to its very core, it has been deemed so provocative that it is BANNED. The director is Egyptian, the move is set in Cairo (yet filmed funnily enough in Istanbul because of the ban). It has yeilded award in the Cannes film festival, and it is simply put SUPERB.

The camera is well used, the atmosphere build up is immensely satisfying. And it ultimately proves the old saying "Man will be free when the last King has been strangled with the last priests entrials"- This is a CULT movie in the making. Unfortunately you will never see this film in Egypt.

Fresh from a viewing of "The Nile Hilton incident", watching "Boy from heaven" consolidates the prowess of Tarek Saleh as a filmmaker: a robust and sensational story coupled with a minimalistic yet ever developing sense of flashy cinematography. This review is probably going to end up being a comparison between Saleh's newest film and his previous, so let's get the latter out of the way: "The Nile-Hilton incident" is a thriller crime film deeply rooted in the depiction of an Egyptian society that is on the brink of an Arab spring revolution. The story follows Fares Fares' character, a deeply corrupt cop who is assigned an investigation into a shady hotel murder that turns his life upside down. There are undoubtedly two things that should be said about this film: firstly, the story is pretty good! It is used as an apparatus to unravel the complexities of an Egyptian society in spiral, laden by crime, poverty and police corruption. However, a second point must be raised: the film lacks the kind of artistic and technical passages that tickle the imposter snob in me. It is very plainly shot and that can be said about hundreds of great films, but fortunately not about "Boy from heaven".

I never thought a red turban could have ever been this beautiful. This movie really superseded my expectations in terms of the cinematography while maintaining a solid loyalty to its great story. The film follows a young and candid young man who is chosen to enrol in the Azhar institute: an Islamic studies school that is regarded as a beacon of Islamic sciences in the middle east if not the world. But it is soon understood that this highly coveted institute hides behind it may dark secrets and political conflicts that rival in ruthlessness those inside the Egyptian quasi dictator regime. And Tawfeek Barhom's character finds himself in the middle of this highly volatile and dangerous battle between religion and state.

In this film, Tarek Saleh worked the religious imagery and the beauty of the spiritual ritual in a way that reminded me of Paolo Sorrentino's "The Young Pope": they both depicted in high detail the serenity of the religious system as well as its terrifying rigour. And Saleh got a few great shots of some red hats! Tarek Saleh has caught the eye of the international cinema community for quite a while, but now has cemented himself as one of the best directors in Egyptian cinema.