Liz Sullivan
THE AQUINIAN
The Film: Cairo Time
Director & Writer: Ruba Nadda
Shown at: The Silverwave Film Festival, Nov. 7
This was a Canadian Feature at the Silver Wave Film Festival starring Patricia Clarkson as Juliette.
It’s a love story that bends the boundaries of one woman caught between two worlds of love. The movie was filmed in Cairo, following the character of Juliette as she travels to meet her husband while on her vacation and ends up falling in love with the man he sent to look after her.
Nadda creates an intense sense of vibrancy and romance for the Egyptian culture as her character’s lives begin to intertwine.
It’s a modern Romeo and Juliette that ends with the loss of love for one character. The film plays with the idea that Juliette is able to create two lives for a brief while, in true romantic style.
Clarkson is gorgeously stoic, playing her role of fated love effortlessly. As the romance between her and Tareq (Alexander Siddig) unfolds, they create a beautiful story. In the end when it comes time for Clarkson to choose what life she wants to lead, there are two perfectly created lives that she could follow, her choice balancing on the thin line that she created between both of her worlds. Even with the inevitable loss of one love, love still drives the end of the film.
The film is an unique take on the traditional love story that puts the characters in a place where their choices can lead them to two different worlds. It creates an interesting juxtaposition of the culture that Juliette is from, and the one that she has thrust herself into by visiting her husband. The film manages to get it’s audience to ask itself what should one follow, time or new found romance?
A beautiful love story to the end, a recommended watch for the sentimental heart.
