...wherein the ordinarily ball o' energy firecracker Patricia Clarkson takes it down a dozen notches to play a wife holed up in Cairo while her U.N.-employed husband is held up in Gaza. Back in the States Juliette's a workaholic magazine editor - twelve hour days if she's on a deadline, she says. In Cairo, though, she's in a dream state, almost a sleepwalker. It's as if the director said, Remember, it's very hot here so always move v-e-r-y- s-l-o-w-l-y.
Everything she sees seems to merit a dazed, almost stoner degree of attention--cups of coffee, women, children, the Pyramids... "Your hajib is pretty," she tells the hotel worker. (It seemed odd that a ultra-modern American could separate the cloth's beauty from what it represents).
The main object of Juliette's gaze is a kindly Egyptian man, Tareq, played by Alexander Siddiq. Tareq straddles both cultures having been a former colleague of the husband.
When the two are together the film comes to life. The husband remains tangled up with some conflict so Tareq plays tour guide to Juliette. His wry humor, lovely manners and looks clearly appeal to Juliette. For Tariq, one wonders (with fear of trading in sterotypes) if she represents a combination of femininity and modernity. (e.g., the flirty dresses mixed with the sass, and her returning to his coffee shop even after finding out it's for men only).
When Tareq rescues her from an ill-advised bus trip to Gaza to see her husband, he's clearly pissed. But is he angry because it was a foolish thing to do, or because he didn't like her running away from what was developing between them?
Recommend.
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