Winter Of Discontent

Given the current state of emergency in post-revolutionary Egypt, it feels like a singularly inopportune moment to release this dark but ultimately celebratory drama set during the 2011 Tahrir Square uprising. Adopting a disjointed, at times confusing, flashback structure, the film follows three characters – disillusioned state TV presenter Farah (Farah Youssef), her former paramour, dissident Amr (Amr Waked) and ruthless secret policeman Adel (Salah Hanafy) as they deal with the growing crisis in the country. It’s a brooding, atmospheric film, with a handful of starkly powerful moments, many of them concerned with the corruption and dissemination of information in the modern world. One revolutionary, following an assault on a female comrade, utters the chilling line: ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t help – but it’s okay, I filmed it.’ But there’s no real sense of character and little consistency of tone: Youssef’s scenes are soapy and melodramatic, clashing with the grim reality of Amr’s kidnap and torture. Perhaps it’s still too soon.