Plot
A romantic drama about a brief, unexpected love affair that catches two people completely off-guard.
Release Year: 2009
Rating: 6.6/10 (2,455 voted)
Critic's Score: 67/100
Director:
Ruba Nadda
Stars: Patricia Clarkson, Alexander Siddig, Elena Anaya
Storyline In Cairo on her own as she waits for her husband, Juliette finds herself caught in a whirlwind romance with his friend Tareq, a retired cop. As Tareq escorts Juliette around the city, they find themselves in the middle of a brief affair that catches them both unawares.
Cast: Patricia Clarkson
-
Juliette Grant
Alexander Siddig
-
Tareq Khalifa
Elena Anaya
-
Kathryn
Amina Annabi
-
Yasmeen
Tom McCamus
-
Mark
Mona Hala
-
Jameelah
Fadia Nadda
-
Hanan
Mohamed Abdel Fatah
-
Customs Officer
(as Mohammed Abdel Fattah)
Hossam Abdulla
-
Porter
Nabil Shazli
-
Manager
Ahmed Ghareeb
-
Propositioning Man
Hanafi Mohamoud El Gazar
-
Shoe Shopkeeper
Roanne Bell
-
Sharon
Andrew Cullen
-
Jim
Katie Sherif
-
Petroleum Wife #1
Opening Weekend: $66,245
(USA)
(8 August 2010)
(5 Screens)
Gross: $1,602,045
(USA)
(7 November 2010)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
During filming, the crew was warned off from a certain location in the city, due to its very Islamic population. The director decided to go anyway, and the day was spent mingling with people. She later called it 'one of the best days of her life'.
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes:
In the storyline, they are supposed to be visiting the sphinx/pyramids at dawn. The sun is shown low on the horizon, but clearly in the WEST, so the scene must have been shot at sunset.
Quotes: Juliette Grant:
My husband works for the UN. Jameelah:
I find them to be quite useless. Juliette Grant:
Yes, he finds that too sometimes.
User Review
A Truly Beautiful Film!
Rating: 10/10
Cairo Time is an exquisite feast for the eyes, ears and eventually, the
heart. Ruba Nadda takes us on a tour of Cairo which flows so well
because it appears complete even down to such minute details such as
showing street children selling bobby pins, a wild motorcycle driver
nearly hitting the film's heroine, and Egyptian hit songs playing on a
taxi's radio. In contrast with the high energy scenes of Cairo's
bustling city life are dreamy, beautifully composed shots of the city's
classical architecture, the Egyptian pyramids and The White Desert, all
which give the impression that they are frozen in time. But, the time
in Cairo Time is hardly stagnant. The film's stunning images, rich
music and moving love story about a bored workaholic Canadian married
woman whose passion for love and life is awoken by her relationship
with a Egyptian man interplay so beautifully that the film appears
seamless. Patricia Clarkson (Juliette) and Alexander Siddig (Tareq)
convincingly play a couple whose professional relationship transforms
into a love relationship over time. Both actors show off their fine
acting skills by expressing the characters' love for each other through
their subtle uses of body language and eye contact. Each views the
other as a kind of "forbidden fruit", yet neither one can hide their
desire for the other. The quiet intensity of their passion is almost
deafening. Cairo Time works because it does so well what many other
contemporary films don't do. It takes you to another place and time,
one of the main reasons we go to the movies.
0