Souad likes makeup, taking selfies and gossiping with friends. Normal pleasures for a 19-year-old, also in Egypt, but the religious Souad (Bassant Ahmed) does it all a bit secretly. She actually lives several lives. At home she conforms to the wishes of her father and strict aunt. Out of sight of her family, she is already a bit freer, but only online does she lead the life she dreams of. A fantasy life, with glamor photos and virtual boyfriends.
The Egyptian drama is treacherously subtle Souad how the girl gets caught between her fantasy and the limited possibilities before her. She lies more and more easily. On the bus, she tells complete strangers about her fiancé Ahmed, whom she has never actually met, but with whom she maintains a difficult online relationship. Meanwhile, her friends get really engaged and sometimes she sees her future in a flash. A tired woman drags two young children into the street.
The Egyptian director and screenwriter Ayten Amin gradually shifts the perspective in her second feature film from the title heroine Souad to her 13-year-old sister Rabab (Basmala Elghaiesh). Ultimately, Ahmed (Hussein Ghanem), an influencer who is not who he says he is, also plays an important role in the story.
Amin made her film, played by non-professional actors, partly through improvisation. The first part in particular almost seems like a documentary, the scenes look so loose and realistic. Slowly but surely there is more structure in the drama. The scenario turns out to be cleverly put together, so that the story gains more and more meaning. Souad is not only about an unhappy girl, but also about the stark temptations of the smartphone, the line between lying and embellishment, the clash between generations. And finally about Egypt’s class society, which prevents provincial girls like Souad and Rabab from having illusions about their future.
Amin doesn’t ram the message in. Souad relies on special details and small gestures. Sometimes the probing, subtle drama remains too distant as a result, but when the film hits the target, it also hits the mark.
Souad
Drama
★★★☆☆
Directed by Ayten Amin.
With Bassant Ahmed, Basmala Elghaiesh, Hussein Ghanem.
96 min., in 15 rooms.