Heya fawda (2007)

Directors:

Youssef Chahine
Khaled Youssef

Writer:

Nasser Abdel-Rahmane (writer)

Release Date:

28 November 2007 (Egypt)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Choubra, cosmopolitan neighborhood of Cairo. Hatem, maggoty police officer, handles this neighborhood with an iron hand...

Plot Keywords:

Corruption | Politics | Rape | Police Corruption

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Amr Abdel Gelil	...	Samy
Youssef El Sherif	...	Cherif
Hala Fakher	...	Baheya
Ahmed Fouad Selim
Abdullah Mosharraf
Safwa	...	Somaya
Khaled Saleh	...	Hatem
Maher Salim
Hala Sedki	...	Wedad
Menna Shalabi	...	Nour
Ahmed Yehia

Also Known As:

Chaos (Canada: English title)
Chaos, This Is (USA)
Fawda, Heya (Egypt: Arabic title) (working title)
Le chaos (France)

Runtime:

Egypt:124 min

Country:

France | Egypt

Language:

Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Germany:12 | Australia:MA (2008) | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Cairo, Egypt

Company:

3B Productions

English title: Chaos

I saw this at the 2008 Palm Springs International Film Festival. Cannes Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award winner and longtime Egyptian director Youseff Chahine was in ill health toward the end of the filming of this picture thus the credit for Khaled Youssef as an additional director. The story takes place in modern day Cairo in a lower to middle class part of town called Shubra. Hatem (Khaled Saleh) is a tormented, sadistic, corrupt policeman who has the run of the local police station and the neighborhood. His weakness is an unrequited love for his neighbor, the beautiful Nour (Mena Shalaby). Nour is a schoolteacher at a nearby school and has her own unrequited love going for the handsome and kind District Attorney Sheriff (Youssef El Sheriff). Sheriff is unhappily in love with the beautiful Sylvia (Dorra Zarrouk) who is a drug taking, night clubbing, living in the fast lane, westernized opposite attraction to the straight-laced Sheriff. Nour shares an apartment with her mother Bahi (Hala Fakir) but also shares a mother-daughter relationship with her headmistress, the still beautiful Wedad (Hala Sedky) who is also Sheriff's mother. Wedad and Bahi share Nour's desire that someday Sheriff will drop Sylvia and marry Nour. It's a great cast with Khaled Saleh in a great screen role as the villainous and brutal Hatem. The Screenplay by Nasser Abdel Rahman is a little implausible at times but the over-the top story, direction and music seem to work. Cinematography by Ramsis Marzouk, Editing by Ghanda Ezz El Din and Music by Yasser Abdel Rahman. This plays well to a western audience and there are some nicely woven comedic moments to the film's dark and sobering moments. I would recommend this and give it an 8.0 out of 10.