To mark the 11th anniversary of Arab Spring this year, I decided to watch a movie that talks about it from a different perspective; that of a poor woman called Nawara. Nawara (played by Menna Shalabi) works as a maid for a rich family who lives in a luxury compound located on the outskirts of Cairo.
Her daily routine consists of filling two jerrycans from a communal faucet and carrying it to her grandma’s place — while struggling with their sheer weight and the impracticality of her wedge heels — before heading to the public hospital where her father-in-law is suffering from cancer and has to spend the day sitting on the floor as he can’t find a free bed, despite his son’s constant bribes to the nurse.
Nawara has been married for five years without consummation as they can’t afford to move in together. Leaving this misery behind, Nawara has to take several transportations to reach the house of her employees. While riding the bus that moves her to a different world — a far cry from her own — along with maids working in other houses, the radio discusses the money that’d been smuggled out of the country by Mubarak and his cronies and the chance of getting it back and dividing it among the poor; a happy piece of news that is welcomed by the passengers with cheerful claps and ululations.
Nawara loves her employers as she’s been with them her whole life. Her boss Usama (played by Mahmoud Hemida) is a former minister and an MP. He’s in denial of the political upheaval happening around him despite that half of his acquaintances had fled the country in fear of liability.
After being coerced by his wife, he finally gives in and the family departs to London where their son is staying. Before leaving, they trust the villa and their dog Butch to Nawara with a promise of returning. However, when staying and tending the house, Nawara experiences a dreamlike life that ends abruptly when the police confiscate the place.
The end scene is heartbreaking yet speaks a thousand words of a corrupt system where the poor are made scapegoats for the wealthy. In the movie — also called Nawara — director Hala Khalil emphasises the wide gap between social classes in her country in almost every scene, from Nawara’s daily trip to her employee’s house to the conversations with her boss where her ignorance is highlighted.
Khalil uses wide space between the two: while Nawara is standing outside the pool, Usama is swimming away from her; always laughing at her naïve and optimistic view of the revolution. Furthermore, to keep the viewer updated with the current political situation in Egypt, the director chooses news clips played in the background and conversations between Usama, his wife and friends.
Her message is clear: while the rich are panicking, the poor are too busy making ends meet to notice the chaos around them and its potential outcome. The director’s feminine touch is given through Nawara; she reflects the way older generations of Arab women were brought up and taught never to complain. Her constant smile and optimism are infectious yet contrasting with her tough life. As usual, Menna Shalabi excels in her portrayal of the simple maid and her inaccessible dreams that seems to get harder after the revolution, with promises of equality and social justice that never materialise. Though very scarce, Layal Watfeh’s score echoes brilliantly the sombre mood of the movie. Nawara won many film awards — mainly for best actress — such as Dubai and Malmo international film festivals. An exceptional movie. Available on Netflix.
Rasha al Raisi is a certified skills trainer and the author of The World According to Bahja. rashabooks@yahoo.com
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