another good review

CAIRO TIME
CAIRO TIME is Ruba Nadda’s fourth feature film as writer and director, and it is certainly her most ambitious yet. The film highlights the city of Cairo and stars Patricia Clarkson as Juliette, an American magazine editor who has gone to meet her diplomat husband Mark (Tom McCamus). When he becomes delayed by tensions in Palestinian territory, however, she is left to her own devices in the foreign city. Mark’s friend Tareq (Alexander Siddig) comes to her aid and shows her around the city. Slowly, the two of them become close and struggle with their attraction and to their devotion to Mark.

This is essentially a modern updating of Noel Coward’s play Still Life, which became the basis for BRIEF ENCOUNTER, written by Coward and directed by David Lean. The acting of the two leads Clarkson and Siddig is uniformly excellent as is the cinematography by Luc Montpellier. The story is a little slow and aimless off the top, and Nadda’s direction can occasionally be stilted, but it comes together nicely and gently builds to a subtle but deeply-felt climax.

Rating: [gives it 3 and 1/2 reel rating]