Cairo Station

A blend of inspiration from neorealism and noir cinema, this egyptian crime-drama tells a story that deals with themes of gender-based violence, sexual repression, societal class, misogyny and mental health in such an authentic way. The character of crippled erotomaniac homeless man, kind of gives a metaphor to social conditions of that time, where people were poverty ridden, suppressed by their desires and crippled by the government who don't help them make a living. The sexual obsessed killer reminds me of hitckock's Psycho film, this film achieves that feat to put that fear, disgust and tension in the audience's mind through this character. I loved the way it was written. The writing perfectly depicts the psyche of a person whose loneliness, sexual repression, alienation and constant rejection pushes him to an edge, where the consequences of it will be unpleasant. I love the choice of a setting as a train station for the location. People from all class walks the platform yet each has their own struggles and stories. We see several side stories happening around the protagonist which all are layered with social and political backgrounds. The train is a journey, a new social direction in motion, and a sexual symbol. It makes good use of the narrative space. It has a subtle personal look at the social problems that shape and promote toxic masculinity. That film has a stunning portrait of 1958 Cairo, it also recalls film noir but with more realism, empathy and humour, making it incredibly rich, inventive and modern. This film has an actual depiction of Egyptian society of that time, which now looks so different after cinema has become part of nationalist movement later on. No could have made this kind of film in Egypt anymore. Hence this movie contains such power and historical significance.