The real problem with new German-Egyptian documentary “But Something Is Missing, screened at the Cairo Opera House’s Artistic Creativity Center on Monday, is that there are indeed a few elements missing.
The fact that the documentary is directed by two Egyptians (Ahmed Nour and Dina Hamza) and two Germans (Chris Caliman and Liliana De Sousa) might be part of the reason. The main missing element in the film is a concrete link between the four stories.
A joint production between Goethe Institute in Cairo and Medienproject Wuppertal, the film centers on four young men and women living in various parts of Egypt and Germany: Neele, a 16-year-old from the German town Schwelm; Onur, 18, from Berlin; Karim, 17, from Alexandria and young actress Youssra El-Lozy, 21, from Cairo.
A victim of a divorce, Neele hated her mother for the larger part of her young life. Although she seems to have reconciled with her mother over the years, the effects of the broken marriage are still evident in her life. Boys are her main interest.
Onur, who is of Turkish descent, suffers from the firm grip his controlling parents keep on him. Onur lives in a typical Turkish environment in Berlin; his parents are an integral compulsory part of his life.
Karim lives in Alexandria; he comes from an economically modest family and holds various jobs to support himself. He is shy and introverted but has a calm demeanor and a cheerful spirit.
Youssra is the sole character enjoying a relatively harmonious, trouble-free life. An actress and a ballerina with several hobbies including playing the piano, Youssra faces little problems. Her supportive family gives her the space she needs and intervene in situations when necessary.
Besides the question of why these particular locations were chosen, we’re also left wondering why these subjects were selected in the first place. The four have little in common, but then again, this might very well be the reason.
“But something is Missing is not entirely without merits. All stories are quite authentic and entertaining, especially when examined in isolation from each other. Production is top-notch, complemented by fluid camera movements and well-structured frames.
Particular remarkable shots capture the essence of the characters.
Neele, for example, is seen sleeping on her colorful bed, playfully talking to the camera. Her infatuation with the bed is depicted not just via these shots, but in the context of her stories, one of which is about how, on a drunk night, she had sex with a school colleague on a couch in front of six or seven other people from her school.
Onur is mostly filmed on the move, signifying his unremitting attempts to escape from a scrutinizing family who mandate how he should lead his life. Karim, alone and shy, is seen on a bike speeding through the streets of Alexandria or sitting comfortably on the ground of a roof-top.
Youssra has a multitude of comfort zones, where she works, where she dances, at home or with friends.
Parents are an intricate part of the documentary. Their complex, and sometimes conflicting, relationship with their children is stressed, highlighting the discrepancy between what parents expect and demand and what children truly want.
In all cases, the four agreed that men are given more privileges than women in all societies and all but Karim agreed that this wasn’t the way it should be.
The intriguing finding the film stumbles upon is that freedom, at least for the chosen subjects, had little relation to the general norms their respective countries are known by. Youssra, for instance, has as much freedom as Neele while both girls enjoy more freedom than Onur.
The documentary boasts plenty of funny moments and, at times, it’s not difficult to identify with the four teens.
By the end of the film though, I couldn’t help but try to find an intentional thread linking these four characters other than their age.
It was only when Youssra said, “But something is missing that I started to suspect that perhaps all of these youngsters are missing out on one thing or another. Karim’s poor conditions, Neele’s emotional turmoil and Onur’s torment over being under surveillance are clear enough, but with Youssra, it’s hard to tell.
On the way out, I heard one of the audience members say in German, “two extremes.
I wonder what she was referring to; it certainly isn’t the extremes between life in Germany and Egypt. Could it be that the movie was more interested in showing the diversity in characters across continents, completely extraneous to location?
