Tuesday, August 17, 2010
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Tuesday, August 17, 2010
MOVIE REVIEW
Cairo Time
The Prince And I, Lost In
"Exotica"
Alexander Siddig as Tarik and Patricia Clarkson as
Juliette in "Cairo Time".
IFC Films
by
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
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Tuesday, August
17, 2010
Ruba Nadda's "Cairo Time" means well but falls prey to clichés and stereotypes
about European or American white women dabbling in far away "exotic" lands, lost
in wonder and whimsy. The film need not be this way, but it is, though
you'd think the director capable of doing more with the two stars on display.
("Cairo Time" opened in several cities over the weekend, while continuing in
several other U.S. cities.)
Indeed, the most memorable aspect of "Cairo Time" is the superb rapport between
Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig, both great here as Juliette and Tarik.
There's a deep, palpable sensuality between them that sears the big screen, with
more than enough sexual tension to singlehandedly carry the day.
Juliette's husband Mark works at the U.S. State Department and is trying to make
his way to Cairo to join his wife on their anniversary celebration vacation,
where Juliette is being chaperoned by Mark's friend and taxicab driver Tarik.
Juliette and Mark seem to be a married couple in good standing but distance
provides complication. Tarik spends lots of time in a proverbial "Driving
Miss Daisy" manner with Juliette, showing her all Cairo has to offer, while
their interactions gradually grow as warm as the Egypt sun.
Like "An Affair To Remember" and "Summertime", the latter of which this film
resembles, "Cairo Time" is passionate in a discreet way. Unlike those
two films, Miss Nadda's film's sole reason to exist seems to be to showcase time
and place, with the principal players somewhat disconnected from it. Tarik
and Juliette could have been in New York, Italy or Melbourne, and as
breathtaking as North East Africa is, the screenplay has dialogue which tends to
put its actors through the motions, in a sense neutralizing the splendor of
atmosphere and environment.
Miss Nadda spends copious amounts of time creating imagery that is sweeping,
colorful yet familiar as celluloid fabric cut from prior films. And
there's grand symbolism in the music that feels more pretentious than earnest,
as if the filmmaker is trying to overcompensate. When watching "Cairo
Time" you feel that Miss Nadda tries too hard to cultivate a natural Cairo and a real
atmosphere. Aspects of the film -- the "people choreography", the sounds,
the interactions between Juliette and some Cairo locals all feel less than
authentic, even if the film has its own peaceful, deliberate pace. As beautiful as Cairo is, the splendor it offers threatens to
be submerged by the director's shot-making choices and the film's air of
loftiness.
The failures of "Cairo Time" have nothing to do with the performances of Ms.
Clarkson and Mr. Siddig. In a rare leading role Miss Clarkson plays a
woman flickering with desire for a man who gives her his undivided attention.
Her restraint on Juliette's emotional pulse is complex and adult, and Miss
Clarkson doesn't play it false for a single second. Juliette's head and
heart battle away. She knows the ultimate solution to her predicament.
Miss Clarkson adds a layer of sophistication to the sensual, sultry characters
she brings to the screen that is as sexy and enticing as the characters
themselves. With Juliette however, there are additional ingredients of
loneliness and quiet tragedy afoot.
Mr. Siddig plays Tarik as a benevolent, charming, kind-hearted soul. By
all accounts he appears to be stable, secure and reliable. Mr. Siddig
lends a good-natured humility to Tarik, and thankfully doesn't play him as an
obedient, unthinking fool looking for sympathy. Tarik is relatively
content with the world in which he lives. Everything however, isn't
perfect. Mr. Siddig's performance however, comes fairly close.
Initially the inopportune romance between Juliette, a book editor and Tarik is blanketed and
secreted by the cordial, gentle ways they engage each other, until flirtation
turns into something a little more enticing. Niceties remain. Urgency begins.
Mr. Siddig and Miss Clarkson bring an intelligence and discretion to Tarik and
Juliette that needed a better film to belong to.
With: Elena Anaya, Tom McCamus, Amina Annabi.
"Cairo Time"
is rated PG by the Motion Picture
Association Of America for mild thematic elements and smoking. The film's
running time is one hour and 30 minutes.
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