Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story

A good impactful film which deals with the situation of the Egyptian woman, whatever her social condition or her notoriety. The subject is sensitive, and difficult to treat.

The film contains quite daring scenes, it is not to be watched with the family.

When this movie began, I was very surprised. In the opening scene, I saw Hebba (Mona Zaki) wearing only a camisole and kissing her husband passionately. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this scene but it surprised me how sexy she was behaving....nothing like the austere stereotype of women I had about Islamic nations. This is NOT a complaint of any type...just surprise on my part because of my ignorance about what it's like to live in Egypt or watch Egyptian films. This is only the second Egyptian movie I have seen...the other being made way back in the 1950s. But there ended up being far, far more about this movie that surprised me.

Hebba is a very successful career woman. After all, she hosts her own television talk show and is quite famous. In addition, her husband is a very influential executive and together they have a life that seems ideal. At the same time, the husband really wants a promotion….and Hebba's very liberal-minded talk show does not endear him to his very traditional bosses. One even suggests he talk to Hebba to advise her to tone down her rhetoric and choose nice, safe topics instead of ones that challenge the system.

At first, Hebba tries to do this and she even schedules a safe sort of topic…love. But her guest apparently has a lot to say…and begins talking about how unfair and sexist their society can often be…as well as how content she is now living without a man in her life! Instead of avoiding controversy, this show directly challenged the expectation that a woman marry and live happily ever after.

Hebba's next shows ends up courting even more controversy. She interviews a woman who was jailed for murdering a man…a murder that seems a bit justified when you learn her sad story. She also interviews a woman who was essentially raped by her fiancé…who then dumped her because she was now 'soiled'!

Where this all goes, I won't say as it will spoil the suspense. Suffice to say, however, that it's a film that demands you have some Kleenex nearby. It's really almost impossible to watch what follows without being strongly impacted.

I did not expect to see a film about feminism and women's rights coming from Egypt. It really challenged me…and I know it made a real strong impact when the film debuted at home. Mona Ziki herself was apparently barraged with complaints by her countrymen and women--with folks demanding the film be censored in favor of 'clean cinema'! It's obviously a very brave film…one that is incredibly well made, extremely compelling and it among the best foreign films I have ever seen. This one deserves to be seen and is very much like an Egyptian version of The Joy Luck Club…but even better.

If you want to see this film, in the States it's on Netflix. It's also one you might want to consider buying…it's that good.

When I was leaving the cinema, I was confused & disturbed by the stories that I just heard, but I felt that Yousry Nasrallah's vision of cinema is a beam of light in the darkness of nowadays movies. Stories very deep & moving told smoothly with a style you miss in most Egyptian movies. Written by the Veteran "Wahid Hamed" & acted by a fierce group of new actresses & actors with the lead of a woman of impressive acting capabilities , probably the best actress of her age "Mona Zaki" & the great "Mahmoud Hemida". An instant classic with the taste of the modern cinema reminds me of the late Youssef Chahine, would make your head spin with the shocking reality about women in Egypt nowadays. No other movie in the last few years affected me like this one.

10/10

TELL ME A STORY: A rare glimpse in to the life of a TV show hostess, who has the courage of conviction to present the unpleasant truth in spite of bureaucratic opposition and innumerable hurdles. Every case presented by her is a reflection on the skewed social system that is reluctant to address the issues that plague many of its members and she gathers enough strength to refuse to take it lying down any longer. Yousry Nasrallah has proved his capability as a versatile director in telling the story so grippingly using the camera to his full advantage. The climax is brilliant and we leave the theater with the satisfaction of viewing a masterpiece among contemporary films.

As a Westerner, albeit one who has lived in the Middle East, though not in Egypt, this was a fascinating inside view of a country most in the US know little about, other than what we see on TV news.

Aspects of the film, such as the production values and the stylized, Telanovela-type melodramatic acting in some scenes, are not what a Western viewer may be used to. In this regard,the film is somewhat uneven. Portions are even at the level 1960's Italian "spaghetti Westerns" or early Japanese low-budget sci-fi. Yet, other aspects, such as the camera work are fresh and innovative, reminiscent of perhaps Pedro Almodovar, and other director/writers who have done a lot with little.

A few technical flaws aside, this film is highly recommended. The story structure and concept of using a classic legend is satisfying to the viewer, making difficult material palatable, and allowing one to see parallels that cross borders, culture and time.