The now 40-year-old Abu Bakr Shawky set the bar very high when he released his deabut feature Yomeddine in the Official Competition of Cannes seven years ago (a distinction held by just one film a year, as the other movies in the main selection of the world’s most prestigious festival are signed by more experienced filmmakers). He returned two years ago, with the vastly acclaimed Hajjan. He now delivers his this feature, The Stories, a lighthearted and compelling blend of comedy and drama, not entirely dissimilar yet inferior to his surprising, funny and profound first feature.
The Stories begins in the turbulent year of 1967, when the Six-Day-War and Israel’s consequent occupation of the Sinai Peninsula took place. Ahmed (played with affection and devotion by Amir El-Masry) is a classical pianist in his early 20s, living with non-identical twin and Russophile Hassan, his football aficionado younger brother, his doting mum and his loving dad. His European career choice came as a disappointment to his family, who hoped that him would follow in the footsteps of his uncle (who played in the orchestra of iconic Egyptian chanteuse Oum Kalthoum). Ahmed corresponds regularly with Elizabeth, a beautiful Austrian woman of around his age (played delicately by Valerie Pachner). “Liz” helps Ahmed to win a scholarship in the country of Mozart, and he promptly moves there
The chemistry between the two is immediately evident, and an intense romance ensues. That’s despite the warnings of Elizabeth’s pragmatic father: “a fish and a bird can fall in love, but they can’t build a house together”. A clumsy and insecure Ahmed – often spurred by the far more determined woman – sets out to prove to his father-in-law-to-be that a “fish can grow wings”. Then tragedy strikes back in Egypt, and Ahmed decides to return to his fatherland in order to be close to his loved ones at a very difficult moment. Ten years pass. This time it is Elizabeth who travels abroad in order to meet her loved one. She lands in Egypt and meets Ahmed’s awkwardly welcoming family (his mother had probably never seen a foreigner, we’re told). Despite various challenges – and the prospect of a bald husband, as the family genes seems to establish – Elizabeth marries Ahmed and settles in the Land of the Pharaohs.
A further two chapters of the film take place, in 1981 and 1984. Jimmy Carter brokers a permanent peace agreement between Israel and Egypt (incidentally, it holds to this very day). Egyptian president Anwar Sadat is assassinated, shaking the heart and the soul of a country that built its highly personalised identity around male leaders. Archive footage is often used for such momentous historical developments. On the family side too there are both wonderful and horrific evnts. Elizabeth becomes pregnant. And Ahmed’s receding hairlines do indeed materialise. They furiously devastate his head, leaving a huge horseshoe clearing above his forehead. A sight more shocking than the battlefield pictures.
This two-hour movie is dotted with moments of comedy relief, and the most tragic developments are portrayed with a tender Egyptian sensibility. This means that The Stories is easily digestible and comprehensible fun, often on the cheesy, predictable or even formulaic side. There is nothing particularly innovative here. This may come as a vague disappointment to festival crowds thirsty for the novel and the unexpected, but it does not compromise the integrity of the film. The Stories is tailored for both Egyptian and international markets, and it is likely to succeed on both fronts. Bring your popcorn and a hanky. However hammy the developments, it is impossible not to be moved by the contagious joy of the characters, or not to be enraptured by El-Masry and Pachner’s irresistible smiles. Or even Oum Kalthoum’s rendition of Enta Omry, and Be My God Be My Weapon.
The Stories premiered in the Official Competition of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where this piece was originally written. Also showing at the 5th Red Sea International Film Festival.
