Cairo Time
takes us to the capital of Egypt, where magazine editor Juliette (Patricia Clarkson,
Lars and the Real Girl, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) has just landed for an indefinite
visit. She was supposed to meet her diplomat husband, Mark (Tom McCamus, (Heyday!,
Shake Hands with the Devil), but arrives at her hotel to discover he is not there.
That’s when she meets Tareq (Alexander Siddig, Syriana,Kingdom of Heaven),
an old friend of Mark’s. He tells her Mark has been sent to the Palestinian
refugee camps and it is uncertain when he’ll be back. Completely out of
her element, Juliette is happy to have the companionship of Tareq, who becomes
her guide to the city. Between intermittent and rushed phone conversations with
her husband, Juliette finds she is enjoying Tareq’s company, and before
long, the two of them begin having feelings for one another that cannot be ignored.
Clarkson is radiant as the heart and soul of a film that evocatively renders a
middle-aged woman’s search for herself when her children have just left
the nest and she is embarking on a new phase in life. Stunningly shot, this film
flows like a distant dream in which a way forward is possible despite the sadness
over what is being left behind.
“. . . Nadda knows how to make
the quiet moments between her leads speak volumes.” – Jason Anderson,
Eye Weekly
“. . . a superbly directed lyrical
waltz of longing and desire across disparate worlds, with exquisite performances
by Patricia Clarkson, Tom McCamus and Alexander Siddig.”
Best Canadian Feature Film – Toronto International Film Festival
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