This is an odd film. Patricia Clarkson ("Juliette") shows up in Cairo assuming her husband will meet her at the airport. He doesn't. Instead, he sends a former colleague, "Tareq" (Alexander Siddig) to meet her and assure she gets to her hotel.
The film then unfolds in what seems real time over days and nights and hours while Juliette waits for her husband (a diplomat, I think) to return from Gaza. Why he's held up isn't exactly clear, but everyone keeps saying, "He's all right."
Juliette mopes through her days and nights, longing to see her husband, but instead ends up spending time with Tareq, who, at least on the surface, seems like a fantastic guy to be with. Also, there is a pointless scene early on with Juliette and some woman she meets who tells her that Egyptian lovers are amazing -- just to drive the point home.
Slowly Juliette and Tareq start growing closer together. Very, very, very slowly. Tareq accidentally kisses her on the lips one night before she returns to her room, and you'd think the world had ended.
Juliette is clearing trying to remain faithful to her husband -- but why? It seems painfully clear that he doesn't care about her, and at one point I just shouted at the screen, "Why don't you go back home?"
Juliette, while she is given some kind of "editing" job," basically comes across as being super rich and not having to worry about how long she'd stay in Cairo. In fact, at one point, she fantasizes staying, and renting an apartment, with, we can all imagine, the idea being she could see Tareq.
The movie is essentially an exercise in frustration, because Tareq is hot, sexy, swarthy, with those deep, deep beautiful eyes. It's great for Juliette that she chose to be "chaste," but for the rest of us, we didn't really care.
At some point near the end, Juliette asks Tareq up to her room for tea. She makes the tea, and hands it to him. He takes both teas away from her and takes her hands instead. She's moments away from kissing him, but does not.
Are we supposed to say, "Good on ya, Julz! You resisted temptation!" In what way did that make the movie interesting?
The lighting for the majority of the movie is awful. Both characters are in shadows and we never can truly see how attractive they both might be.
Juliette comes off as some nun who was given a week off so she could see what the rest of the world was like before returning to the nunnery for ever more.
Lots of interesting shots of Egypt, the bazaars, the pyramids, the hookahs, etc., but it didn't matter, because the story was weak.
Definitely a waste of Alexander Siddig's talents, as he comes off as being very sensual. And while I do enjoy Patty Clarkson, she is a supporting actress, not a lead. But she has kept her figure and can wear really pretty dresses and does have screen presence, to a degree.
The film then unfolds in what seems real time over days and nights and hours while Juliette waits for her husband (a diplomat, I think) to return from Gaza. Why he's held up isn't exactly clear, but everyone keeps saying, "He's all right."
Juliette mopes through her days and nights, longing to see her husband, but instead ends up spending time with Tareq, who, at least on the surface, seems like a fantastic guy to be with. Also, there is a pointless scene early on with Juliette and some woman she meets who tells her that Egyptian lovers are amazing -- just to drive the point home.
Slowly Juliette and Tareq start growing closer together. Very, very, very slowly. Tareq accidentally kisses her on the lips one night before she returns to her room, and you'd think the world had ended.
Juliette is clearing trying to remain faithful to her husband -- but why? It seems painfully clear that he doesn't care about her, and at one point I just shouted at the screen, "Why don't you go back home?"
Juliette, while she is given some kind of "editing" job," basically comes across as being super rich and not having to worry about how long she'd stay in Cairo. In fact, at one point, she fantasizes staying, and renting an apartment, with, we can all imagine, the idea being she could see Tareq.
The movie is essentially an exercise in frustration, because Tareq is hot, sexy, swarthy, with those deep, deep beautiful eyes. It's great for Juliette that she chose to be "chaste," but for the rest of us, we didn't really care.
At some point near the end, Juliette asks Tareq up to her room for tea. She makes the tea, and hands it to him. He takes both teas away from her and takes her hands instead. She's moments away from kissing him, but does not.
Are we supposed to say, "Good on ya, Julz! You resisted temptation!" In what way did that make the movie interesting?
The lighting for the majority of the movie is awful. Both characters are in shadows and we never can truly see how attractive they both might be.
Juliette comes off as some nun who was given a week off so she could see what the rest of the world was like before returning to the nunnery for ever more.
Lots of interesting shots of Egypt, the bazaars, the pyramids, the hookahs, etc., but it didn't matter, because the story was weak.
Definitely a waste of Alexander Siddig's talents, as he comes off as being very sensual. And while I do enjoy Patty Clarkson, she is a supporting actress, not a lead. But she has kept her figure and can wear really pretty dresses and does have screen presence, to a degree.
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