"After the Battle" is a very fine
state-of-the-nation movie, the nation here being Egypt and the time, the
present. This film, which has many scenes of documentary-like realism,
could have been ripped from the headlines and, in a way, it was. It is a
superb piece of political cinema, particularly to us in the West whose
grasp on Egyptian politics may be tenuous at best but director Yousry
Nasrallah coats his picture in the guise of a love story of sorts
between a brusque horseman, coaxed into supporting the Mubarak regime
with the promise of work, and a radical young divorcee who comes to
support him and his family and it's a strategy that works.
These
are people from very different backgrounds and with very different ideas
on how Egypt should be governed, particularly in relation to the role
of women. Their meeting will have a major impact on both their lives and
in unexpected ways. Of course, this romantic, human side to the story
makes the film much more accessible to a wider audience. As the horseman
and the woman who seeks to educate him both Bassem Samra and Menna
Shalabi are excellent and there's a lovely performance from Nahed El
Sebai as Samra's too trusting wife. Unfortunately after its screening at
Cannes the film very much disappeared. Do yourself a favour and seek
it out.
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