‘Cairo Time’ Bests Season’s Female-Centric Blockbusters

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Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – A delicious sip of tea, a cool fragrant breeze, a stroll through a gorgeous foreign landscape. These are but a few of the sensations moviegoers will experience in “Cairo Time,” a deceptively simple, tenderly lyrical love story that is quite simply the most refreshing cinematic surprise of the season. I don’t want to overpraise this lovely little morsel. It’s meant to be savored, and has a rich aftertaste.

With the obvious exception of “Inception,” this summer has been a resounding disappointment in terms of blockbusters, particularly those aimed at women. The female protagonists in “Sex and the City 2” and “Eat Pray Love” were insultingly shallow narcissists whose idea of therapy was a whirlwind tour of the globe. It’s not all that enjoyable to watch these rich ninnies whine about their personal problems, especially in light of the current financial crisis. “Cairo Time” is also about a woman who finds fulfillment overseas, but the film is utterly devoid of the cultural insensitivity that plagued “Sex,” and the superficial excess that made “Eat” such a stomachache.

Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig star in Ruba Nadda’s Cairo Time.
Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig star in Ruba Nadda’s Cairo Time.
Photo credit: IFC Films

It is also the only film among these three titles that was directed by a woman, the acclaimed Toronto filmmaker Ruba Nadda, who specializes in small-scale, intricately nuanced dramas, often featuring a romance between characters with different religious backgrounds, one of them being Islamic. Yet Nadda isn’t interested in pushing any incendiary buttons. If anything, her films break down cultural barriers by allowing their characters to connect on a human level without a hint of condescension.

Though Sarah Jessica Parker and Julia Roberts have bigger fan bases, Patricia Clarkson could act them both off the screen without breaking a sweat. She’s offered a showcase in “Cairo Time” most actresses her age aren’t afforded, and she makes the most of every last frame. Clarkson plays Juliette, the wife of a U.N. official, who finds herself with plenty of time on her hands while in Cairo. Her husband is busy organizing refugee camps in Gaza, and only has time for a few curt phone calls. As Juliette patiently waits for the opportunity to sightsee with her husband, she begins to develop an interest in his friend, a retired cop named Tareq (played by the marvelous Alexander Siddig, so memorable in “Syriana”). They take an instant liking to each other, and before long, Tareq enlists himself as Juliette’s guide around town. As their friendship blossoms, they gently subvert the preconceptions (informed by stereotypes) that they have of their respective backgrounds, and are surprised to find how much they have in common, including a deep-seated loneliness.

The plot unfolds more or less in the way one would expect, yet Nadda’s deft and subtle approach to the material is what makes it resonate more than the countless lesser pictures made from the same familiar elements. “Cairo Time” is basically “Leap Year” made by and for thinking people. The sweeping landscape, breathtakingly lensed by cinematographer Luc Montpellier, initially seems to be the central focus, as the film threatens to become a glorified travelogue. But the lush setting ultimately functions as a fitting framework for the touching relationship that develops between Juliette and Tareq.

Ruba Nadda’s Cairo Time was released Aug. 20 at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema.
Ruba Nadda’s Cairo Time was released Aug. 20 at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema.
Photo credit: IFC Films

Clarkson is one of the best character actresses in the business, but she’s rarely looked as ravishing as she does here. When her face blushes, she mirrors the giddy exhilaration of a first crush. When she cries, she looks like a wilted flower. There are more than a few striking similarities between this film and Luca Guadagnino’s “I Am Love,” which not only told the story of a married woman’s infatuation with another man, but also took the form of a love letter aimed at the formidable talent and under-appreciated beauty of its star, Tilda Swinton. Yet while “I Am Love” was an unabashed operatic melodrama, complete with outrageous plot twists and obtrusive music, Nadda’s film is a much more low-key mood piece, all the more effective because of its restraint.

There’s a wonderful moment when Juliette decides to invite Tareq to her room. Standard Hollywood formula requires such a set-up to culminate in a sex scene. But Nadda is smart enough to know that the most erotic and haunting scenes are less about action and all about feeling. The sequence in Juliette’s room plays out in silence, and is a miniature masterpiece of acting, timing and choreography, expressing the repressed passion thundering beneath the wordless angst.

This art house release may be the very definition of a “small movie,” but it also reminds us why we bother to go to the movies in the first place. “Sex and the City 2” and “Eat Pray Love” are little more than expensive vacation parties thrown for their cast and crew members. “Cairo Time” not only invites viewers to experience the pleasures of its setting, but it also allows them to share in a journey of personal enlightenment that doesn’t involve a product tie-in.

‘Cairo Time’ stars Patricia Clarkson, Alexander Siddig, Elena Anaya, Tom McCamus and Amina Annabi. It was written and directed by Ruba Nadda. It opened on Aug. 20 at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema. It is not rated.

HollywoodChicago.com staff writer Matt Fagerholm

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
matt@hollywoodchicago.com

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