By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Ayten Amin
Starring: Basmala Elghaiesh | Bassant Ahmed | Carol Ackad | Hagar Mahmoud | Hussein Ghanem | Sarah Shedid
Country: egypt, germany, tunisia
Year: 2021
Running time: 96
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12444454/reference
Michael says: “In SOUAD, writer/director Ayten Amin examines the inherent dichotomy of conservative religion and social media. The film centers on a pair of sister, Souad and Rabab living in a small city north of Cairo, in a two-act structure that spotlights each of them in turn. A deep dive into Souad shows us a teen-aged girl raised in a conservative household, but drawn to the typical things girls her age enjoy: mainly boys. She’s a fanciful storyteller who adapts to any situation. Her first two scenes show her traveling by bus, hijab in place, first telling an older woman sitting next to her about her fiancée who she is going to visit, and how they are following all the traditional values; next, seated next to a contemporary, she is talking about a boyfriend and activities that probably would have scandalized the previous listener. While following a traditional role at home, helping her mother and sister clean and work around the household, she spends time with her friends, particularly the more adventurous Wessa, and the more traditional Amira, dressing up provocatively and posing for selfies that show up on her Instagram account. Most of these are directed at her online boyfriend, Ahmed, an older, social media influencer living in Alexandria several hours away by bus. It’s not clear whether the two have ever even met in person, and it’s clear that Souad is more invested in the relationship than Ahmed, by their chats.
“Midway through the film the story abruptly and rather shockingly shifts to Rabab, who ends up traveling to Alexandria to visit Ahmed. The two spend the day walking around the City, talking about Souad and life in general. Rabab learns that Ahmed has a new girlfriend, and it becomes evident that while Alexandria’s lifestyle is more relaxed, Ahmed ruminates about the difficulty finding an unobservable location where he can kiss her — then posts it on social media. It’s a fascinating tension that illustrates the challenges of modern technology and lifestyle disrupting more traditional ways. SOUAD is Egyptian director Amin’s third film following a documentary and a narrative, and her style workshopping scenes with a script and improvisation with non-professional actors really pays off here. The interactions play very naturally, and the conversations seem authentic. While there is a bit of a meandering quality to the film, it tells a strong, hard-hitting story beautifully. 4 cats
“Screened at Tribeca Festival 2021“