Film Review: ‘Cairo Time’ Bests Season’s Female-Centric Blockbusters

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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.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

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.

Read Matt Fagerholm’s full review of “Cairo Time” in our reviews section.

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.

Continue reading for Matt Fagerholm’s full “Cairo Time” review.

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