KHIYANA SHARIAH (JUSTIFIED CHEATING)
Egypt/2006/Arabic dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/35mm/124 mins
In this intriguing and entertaining thriller, Khalid Youssef tells the story of a young, rich man (Hani Salama) who kills his wife and his brother when he finds them in bed together. After he evades prosecution we start to wonder whether the killings were really spontaneous or if perhaps he had plotted everything in advance to get rid of both of them. Told from shifting perspectives in the style of Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, including those of the hero, his mistress and a police detective investigating the case, the film moves around the murders cleverly, in a manner as unconventional and exciting as the story itself. Very convincing characters are involved in a game that requires a hefty dose of imagination from the audience. The film contains violence.
KHALED YOUSSEF holds a degree in engineering. He took the lead role in Cairo as Told by Youssef Chahine (1991) and co-wrote and assistant directed Chahine’s The Emigrant (1997), Destiny (1997) and The Other (1999). He made his feature film writing and directing debut with The Storm (2000), which was named Best Arabic Film at the Cairo International Film Festival. His other features include Ent Omry (2004), which won Best Actress at Cairo, and Ouija (2005).
Director & Scriptwriter: Khaled Youssef
Producer: Kamel Abo-Ali
Cinematographer: Samir Bahzan
Editor: Ghada Ezz
Composer: Yasser Abdel-Rahman
Cast: Hani Salama, Somaya El Khashab, Mai Ezzidine, Hesham Selim
CONTENT ADVISORY (violence)
