By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Marwan Hamed
Starring: Adel Imam | Nour El-Sherif | Youssra; Hend Sabri
Original language title: Omaret Yakobean
Country: egypt
Year: 2006
Running time: 184
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425321/reference
Bruce says: “Opulent, expensive and larger than life, this adaptation of a best-selling Egyptian novel is the type of film one rarely sees anymore. Clocking in at nearly three hours, it’s both a Robert Altman-esque intersecting narrative ensemble piece and an old-fashioned, grandiose Doulgas Sirk-like melodrama.
“The title refers to an actual high-rise apartment complex in downtown Cairo built in 1937. An opening montage neatly, rapidly relays its history and evolution before introducing the cast, all residents of the building and emblematic of its current socio-economic diversity. The central figure is Zaki (Adel Imam), the aging playboy son of an ex-diplomat who lives with his embittered, possibly insane sister Dawlat (the hilarious Isaad Younis). Others include Haj, a self-made businessman who misguidedly applies similar strategies to love and politics; Taha, a poor, young male student who desperately turns to Islamic Fundamentalism; Bosnaina, his ex-girlfriend, eventually forming a bond with the least likely person; and Hatit, a middle-age,
closeted homosexual newspaper editor who cruises a straight, young soldier from the provinces. Zaki’s beguiling ex-lover (and now friend) Christine, a French chanteuse, also appears throughout..
“As we cut across and return to these various narrative strands, it’s increasingly apparent that THE YACOUBIAN BUILDING is, in its heart, a stirring lament for a lost Cairo. At its emotional peak, Zaki stumbles around the front of the building, drunk but eloquently exclaiming ‘Looked at this ruined country!’ Sure, the film was a tad operatic and too over-the-top for my taste at times (particularly in Taha’s montage-aided transformation from poor student to religious freedom fighter) but in the end, I didn’t care: this is an ambitious but remarkably solid first-time effort from 28-year-old director Marwan Hamed. At the very least, it provides an intriguing peek into a historically-rich but fractured culture where the Arab and European worlds apprehensively co-exist. At the very most, the slowly developing charms of its characters stick with you for days. 4.5 cats
“This was screened as part of the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival.”