Before watching Mohamed Khan’s “Fi Sha’et Masr El Gedida (In the Heliopolis Flat), virtually everyone I know warned me from the “pathetic excuse for a movie.
But I went anyway, expecting another tepid, formulaic romantic comedy from a once great filmmaker unable to connect with a new audience. But within the first 20 minutes, I was stunned to find myself thoroughly engrossed in a sweet love story fronted by a female lead, Ghada Adel, who never struck me before as particularly talented.
By the end of the film, I realized that I’ve just seen the best Egyptian movie of the year so far.
“Heliopolis Flat is about Nagwa (Ghada Adel), a 28-year-old music teacher from the conservative Upper Egyptian city of Minya. During a school trip to Cairo, she decides to visit her old music teacher and friend Tahani who had recently stopped responding to her letters.
Nagwa is shocked to find Tahani’s Heliopolis apartment occupied by a new tenant, Yehia (Khaled Abol Naga), a stock broker. The landlord, Tahani’s former love interest, and her co-workers have no idea where she disappeared.
Nagwa misses the train back to Minya and spends the next couple of days in a quest for information about her beloved teacher and idol. Alone in the big city, she finds herself rescuing a girl from a suicide attempt, helping a woman give birth at Ramses train station and finally meeting her soul mate, Yehia.
“Heliopolis Flat is screenwriter Wessam Soliman’s third feature, following the critically acclaimed “Ahla El Awkat (Best of Times) and “Banat West El Balad (Downtown Girls) also directed by Khan.
Soliman’s loose plots give her characters the freedom to set off in different directions interacting with people who appear to be ordinary but are, as Soliman smoothly unveils, far from common.
One of the most appealing facets of Soliman’s stories is how she extracts the extraordinary from the ordinary. The inhabitants of her world are people we encounter every day. Their lives may not seem exciting, as they abide by societal norms until that life-altering moment when they decide to break free and take risks.
Soliman depicts the lives of young women and celebrates the bond shared by her lead characters.
Along with Atef El Tayeb, Khairy Beshara and Dawoud Abdel Sayed Khan was one of the pioneers of the New Realism Wave of the 80s that spawned some of Egyptian cinema s best works.
His films unflinchingly examine the realities of Egyptian society through an elegiac cinematic approach infused with subtle cruelty.
Though it may seem as though it is his collaboration with Soliman that has mellowed him down, this is not the case. Previous films like “Kharaga Wa Lam Ya’od (Gone with No Return) exhibited an affection and sympathy for both his male and female characters. But in “Downtown Girls and “Heliopolis Flat, through his creative relationship with Soliman, Khan fully embraces his characters; showering them with a love of life’s endless possibilities that his past characters were denied.
“Heliopolis Flat is a story of people searching for companionship, happiness and a soul mate. Nagwa has an idealistic conception of love shaped by her free-spirited teacher. Tahani’s existence represents the dream of finding Mr Right and resisting her family’s wish to force her into an arranged marriage that will lock her into a meaningless life without passion.
Yehia has everything a man of his age could hope for: a successful career, money, a no-strings-attached relationship with a knockout co-worker. Yet he suffers from a spiritual void, and a yearning for a genuine human connection that will make him feel needed.
The spirit of American directors Billy Wilder and Cameron Crowe loom over the entire film. Khan tells Soliman’s story with the sensitivity, grace and charm akin to the masterpieces of these two greats.
“Heliopolis Flat is the first Egyptian movie I’ve seen in a long time that depicts Cairo as it is, with all its beauty and imposing buildings without any enhancements. It’s easy to remember after watching the film why so many Cairo residents love this city and everything about it.
Abol Naga gives another flawless performance, juggling cockiness, with charm and a lack of confidence with astonishing ease.
Ghada Adel however, steals the show, playing the mesmerizing role of the vulnerable naive, romantic. It’s a restrained performance with few dramatic peaks, yet she constantly rises to challenge, grabbing our attention with the smallest gestures and sad eyes.
“Heliopolis Flat is the type of romantic drama that most Egyptian audiences have forgotten. But don’t expect any big laughs, an original plot or strong conflicts.
“In The Heliopolis Flat is screened at Maadi Family Cinema with English subtitles.
