I am still convinced that Egyptian art has the compass to correct itself the more voracious the “contracting” films become and the more room for triviality for the sake of the box office.
The movie “People of the Cave” is one of the films correcting the course, with acting, direction, and a humanitarian message.
The makers of the film note at the beginning that it has nothing to do with the story of the People of the Cave mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, and that it is a fictional story inspired by the play of the writer Tawfiq al-Hakim, which is intended to distance oneself from unnecessary criticism, even though the story in many of its details is crystal clear.
The film expresses, in a mental, philosophical way, many human ills: political betrayal, hypocrisy, hatred, and also many beautiful meanings: patience with harm in the face of the oppression of the oppressor, love devoid of greed, friendship. In short, it defends humanity in its simplest sense.
No Egyptian film lacks hints of comedy, and the artist Ahmed Eid succeeded in expressing them, and he was the fruit of the film whenever he appeared in a scene. This is what you hear in the cinema hall, as if the audience has been waiting for him since he appeared approximately in the middle of the film.
The monster of cinema, Mohamed Mamdouh, succeeded in overcoming a major obstacle represented by the clarity of expressions, and the short dialogue sentences in the film were a contributing factor to his success.
Mohamed Farrag is a creative actor, and ever since I watched him in the movie Voy Voy Voy, I have been convinced that he is an Egyptian talent with a bright future ahead of him if he finds someone who can appreciate him artistically.
All the heroes of the work excelled in their roles, including the beautiful young woman Reem Mustafa in the role of Tasnim, and I was happy when I learned, with the help of Google, that she is a graduate of the Faculty of Media, which she was honored to graduate from as well.
Director Sherif Arafa deserves praise for the aesthetic image in the film and for bringing back great stars such as the star Ahmed Badir and Rashwan Tawfiq, although I blame him for the fact that some of the battle scenes were not realistic in the challenge faced by the two heroes, Khaled El Nabawy and Mohamed Mamdouh, especially the physical size of the warriors.
Greetings to all beautiful Egyptian art that addresses the mind and conscience of the viewer.