Yomeddine Movie Review: A noble effort

That AB Shawky chose to base his very first feature on a subject that has been rarely explored in cinema, calls for high praise

Yomeddine
U: Comedy, adventure
Director: AB Shawky
Cast: Rady Gamal, Ahmed Abdelhafiz, Shoq Emara, Hany El-Tabei, Yasser El-Ayouti
Rating: 

Egyptian director AB Shawky’s first feature, about a man cured of leprosy, looking for his roots, is daring but it’s no masterpiece. The film revolves around 40-year-old Beshay (Rady Gamal) and a plucky 10-year-old Obama (Ahmed Abdelhafiz), who hides in Beshay’s donkey cart when he embarks on a road trip to Upper Egypt. What happens along the route forms the crux of this story.

Beshay, whose face and hands bear the scars of illness, decides to forgo his seclusion for a journey of self-discovery. The film treads on clichéd territory with several calamities befalling the duo, atrocities on the disfigured Beshay and stigmas regarding leprosy getting exposed along the way. That AB Shawky chose to base his very first feature on a subject that has been rarely explored in cinema, calls for high praise.

Watch the trailer of Yomeddine:

He exposes Egyptian society’s misconceptions about the disease, and brings on an endplay of acceptance, but the ensuing drama is not riveting. The film works as a champion for the cause of the marginalised leaving the audience with an uplifting message. The abrupt tonal shifts leave viewers a trifle disgruntled though. Both actors give uninhibited performances. If at all, they are the ones who make this experience memorable.

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