PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Mabel Munoz Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Lee Eisenberg Arab Spring drew attention to Egypt's autocratic government under Hosni Mubarak. Therefore, Marwan Hamed's "Omaret Yakobean" ("The Yacoubian Building" in English) turns out to be even more important. The movie depicts 21st-century Egyptian society as morally bankrupt, while also looking at topics that are usually taboo in Muslim societies (e.g., homosexuality).I view the movie as sort of an Egyptian version of movies like "Amores Perros" and "Y Tu Mamá También", both of which show the degeneracy of Mexican society by looking at the different aspects of society. Here we see just about every problem that infects Egyptian society. Although the movie is a scathing indictment of what the most populous Arab country had become under Mubarak, it poses the question of whether this is a matter of governance or something else. We saw how the corruption and autocracy continued under Mohamed Morsi, and has gone supernova since the military coup led by Fatah al-Sisi. Indeed, the nationalist and independence movements often betrayed their own ideals, as political parties either became entrenched like in Algeria, or strongmen took over, like Idi Amin in Uganda. Is it doomed to always be like this?! All in all, a very good movie.

cowboyandvampire You don't have to be well-versed in the history of Egypt to appreciate the Yacoubian Building, but it might make for an even richer viewing experience. At times tender, shocking, sweet, brutal, light-hearted and deadly, deadly serious, The Yacoubian Building offers insights into what it means to be an Egyptian. It's a collision of the old world with the new, and the sadly the old seems filled with regret, pettiness and corruption and the new seems filled with anger, despair and religious fervor. It's especially illuminating viewing given the conflict and cultural upheavals occurring in the Arab Spring (though set before it) but, lest it sounds too heavy, this well-crafted movie is a poignant, meaningful look at lives intersecting in the fading splendor of the once grand building, and apt metaphor for Egypt, it would seem. New lovers meet, old lovers part, familial bonds are tested, cultural mores and religious attitudes are explored and questioned, and the human condition is laid bare. As a westerner, it was difficult to see the way women were/are treated in the movie, but there was hope and dignity underlying it all — it's unclear if that extends into reality, but I like to hope so. The movie is based on a book of the same name that is now on my Goodreads list.--www.cowboyandvampire.com --

fvila What I like most about this movie is that it opens a window into an unknown world for me, that of relations between men an women in modern Egypt, and it does so in a style that is at the same time sumptuous an unfamiliar. People do things you wouldn't expect, despite the slightly heavy-handed handling of emotions. There are areas where the movie is not perfect: it is so highly pessimistic and denounces the greed and selfishness of Egyptian men with so much vigor that it appears somewhat simplistic. It does tend to ramble a bit. But the power and the humor of the movie (it is quite funny, despite being tragic) transcends all that and makes those minor faults. I understand the director is very young, so he will have ample time to overcome and transcend these youthful imperfections. I didn't like Slumdog Millionaire because it told me everything about India that I already knew: it feels like a package tour where you are shown the sites you expect to see, and are whisked from one location to another. For a western viewer, Omaret yakobean is like a journey where you land at the airport and are immediately carried away by the atmosphere, the culture shock, the bustling streets, the misunderstandings, from which you emerge with challenged assumptions and a wider view of the world.

Taha Al-Akshar That's what I felt after watching that movie, it's really close to the society and the public's pulse, some overestimation is there but through comic frame, you'll enjoy watching that movie Marwan Hamed is not an ordinary director, he is one of the best around. i have never seen such a movie that tackles every issue in the Egyption society so honestly. it is a pure masterpiece and if i was running the Oscars then that movie will sure receive one. A movie so honest and directed, it is designed for all classes describing the social corruption in todays society - not only in Egypt but all around the world. if you miss this movie then you will spend your entire life regretting it so i advice every Arabic and non-Arabic speaker to watch the masterpiece and enjoy the art of this marvelous director whom i have a great respect for. two thumps up