QUICK AND DIRTY: LIVE FROM CANNES

Middle-aged George Fahmy (Fares Fares)has a face instantly recognisable in any corner of Egypt. The film actor enjoys so much popularity that his fans have bestowed the “Pharaoh of the Screen” title upon him. This extends to his love life: George boasts multiple affairs and relations (including a film star and a woman roughly half his age). Most importantly, he is someone his people can trust. So the country’s government recruit him to star in a movie entitled Will of the People.

Not only the name of the film seems to allude to Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will (1935), about German supremacy, but also aesthetic of the poster. Some characters compare it to Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956). In other words, the epitome of government propaganda and cult personality. The story romanticises incumbent Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which much of the West describes as a “dictator”. He rose to power in 2014, roughly two years after the Arab Spring protests that rocked the country and its neighbours. The story takes place shortly after that year. At first, our fallible yet virtuous protagonist refuses to take up the role. One night, a stranger blocks his car and threatens to kill his son should George fail to accept the “invitation”, quickly persuading the loving father. The film within the film turns out to be a historical thriller, with abundant action, impressive costumes and countless extras.

There is little doubt that Swedish-Egyptian filmmaker Tarik Saleh harbours little sympathy for the current Egyptian head of state, and it is not surprising that Eagles of the Republic is not an Egyptian production, but a Franco-Swedish one instead. The movie is the final instalment of the Cairo trilogy, which started with The Nile Hilton Incident in 2017, followed by Boy From Heaven in 2022. While the political inclinations of the director are as clear as the waters of the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, the plot line isn’t. It is easy to get confused by the intrigue, and to understand where exactly the film sits on the political spectrum, unless you are fairly familiar with Egyptian politics. I do not know to which extent the “dictator” accolade bestowed upon El-Sisi is a fair and accurate one.

Ultimately, what’s intended to be a denunciation of authoritarianism lapses into half-baked romances and trivial action. The antifascist message is discernible yet secondary. Quiet Fares is auspicious, yet he lacks the superstar magnetism required for the character. A few moments of comic relief help to rescue the film from monotony. One includes George being recognised by the pharmacist (who happens to be a big fan) while buying viagra, and taking the medication only to find out that his lover’s father has died. Upon realising his raging boner, she hilariously asks him: “does sadness turn you on?”.

With a duration of 125 minutes (more than two hours), Eagles of the Republic overstays its welcome. Most significantly, the titular eagle never takes off. Expect a conventional crime thriller with watered down political tones, and little to say about Egyptian politics and culture.

Eagles of the Republic just premiered in the Official Competition of 78th Cannes International Film Festival.