QUICK AND DIRTY: LIVE FROM THE RED SEA

Cairo is a dark and unwelcoming city. The life of security guard Hassan (Essam Omar) is primitive and precarious. He inhabits a tiny flat above a filthy car garage business with his mum and Rambo, a devoted mongrel more or less the size of a Labrador. He toils as a lone facilities security guard, mostly at night. His job precludes most sorts of human in interaction. His uniform spells his trade in large capitals on his back, with a couple of letters missing: “S-blank-C-U-blank-I-T-Y”. These slack omissions mirror his own fractured existence. Hassan can barely hold his home together, let alone his job.

His very fragile equilibrium is broken after his ruthless landlord Karem (Ahmed Bahaa) demands that he moves out with his family. The discussion quickly escalates, and violence erupts. Nifty Rambo steps in, and and rescues his owner by biting Karem’s manhood, bruising both his pride and his genitals. The aggrieved man demands that the mutt is handed over, presumably for the purpose of destruction. Hassan’s reletionship to Rambo remains very powerful, much stronger than any canine bite. So he sets out to find his beloved companion a safe home. Not an easy task in an unforgiving city where people have little time for other human beings, let alone animals. Asmaa (Rakeen Saad) is one exception. The beautiful young lady offers a helping hand. Perhaps she could even ignite a spark or romance.

Almost entirely filmed at night, with flickering lights creating a sense of instability and vulnerability, Seeking Haven for Rambo is an urban tale of friendship set against an inhospitable environment. The blue and green hues inject the story with coldness, even if the Egyptian capital is a place of high temperatures. It is through his canine friend that Hassan rescues his most humane qualities, and connects with other creatures of his own species. The gritty textures and landscapes, the exquisite framing, mostly captured with a static camera from a certain distance, create a sense of alienation. Hassan is so stern and mechanical that at times his demeanour borders on deadpan.

The moments of joy and affection come during a birthday celebration with Rambo, or the motorbike rides around town (Hassan’s sidekick travels comfortably in a sidecar, with a little helmet et al). The friendly dog – his facial expressions are rich, and perfectly aligned with the developments – would have earned a Palm Dog nomination had the film been selected for Cannes. The most intense bonding happens while tending wounds (human to human and also interspecies, after Rambo survives a horrific attack). A visually extravagant and emotionally heartbreaking ending is likely to elicit a little tear. Even if the film never reaches the intended dramatic heights throughout. The relationships between human beings are not fully fledged, and the lack of character development prevents intense engagement. Overall, imagery prevails over sentiment.

Seeking Haven for Mr Rambo just premiered in the Main Competition of the 4th Red Sea International Film Festival.