Ahmad Abdalla’s new film ‘Rags and Tatters’ – follow-up to ‘Heliopolis’ and ‘Microphone’ – has become a touchstone of post-revolutionary Egyptian cinema after a long period of ineffective popular films that raised serious concerns about the future of the Egyptian cinema despite their high returns.

Ahmad Abdalla’s new film ‘Rags and Tatters’ – follow-up to ‘Heliopolis’ and ‘Microphone’ – has become a touchstone of post-revolutionary Egyptian cinema after a long period of ineffective popular films that raised serious concerns about the future of the Egyptian cinema despite their high returns.

The film is believed to have set the Egyptian cinema on its right path, but the fact that it was determined to be screened in cinemas for only one week, raised speculations about whether the government had some influence in this regard. ‘Rags and Tatters’ has set the mood of the Egyptian cinema and the type of films that would attract audience and compete with commercial ones.

A national and artistic duty

Artist Asser Yassin said his participation in the film is a national and artistic duty. “I have participated in this film because it addresses the problems of the poorest strata of Egyptian society in the throes of the January 25 Revolution that originally erupted to achieve social justice. Rags and Tatters does not politically discuss the events of the revolution but rather concentrates on the retrogressive situation of the poor since the revolution onward,” he explained.

The film narrates the story of an unnamed prisoner who escaped from prison during the security chaos that took place in the early days of the revolution, to find himself amid random shootings in a country run by street barricades and overwhelmed with the news of the coming revolution reported over all radio and television channels.

The silent hero who barely speaks in the film gets involved in a mission to deliver the will of his prison comrade—who was killed on the day of the jailbreak— to his family. The fugitive wanders to the forgotten corners of Cairo where some of the poorest reside.

 “When I decided to play the lead role in the film and practice my first experience in production field, I was not concerned about the financial returns since I was fully aware of the fact this film is not a commercial one but rather a dramatic recording of the lives of the poorest people of Egypt. Prior to the shooting, I actually visited several areas where these people reside and inquired about their conditions. I even enlisted some of them in several scenes which added more credibility to the work,” Yassin said.

 “We were not under any pressure”

Director Ahmad Abdalla stressed that ‘Rags and Tatters’ is not a commercial film and added, “The film was premiered at four international festivals: Toronto International Film Festival, London International Film Festival, Abu Dhabi International Film Festival and Montpellier International Film Festival. Thus, we were able to deliver the film’s message, which is to communicate the problems of the ignored poor segment within the context of the revolution. Although the film narrates the story of a man who escapes prison during the notorious jailbreak that took place in the early days of the revolution, we have not addressed the issue of the inexplicable jail opening.”

In regards to showing the film at cinemas for only one week, Abdalla explained, “We were not under any kind of pressure by the government since the film is of a social content, not a political one. We have set the film to be shown in cinemas for one week because we have not expected it to attract the Egyptian audience due to its different nature, but we were surprised with the wide audience and therefore extended its availability for another week. The Egyptian audience has proved great desire to see new types of films and I wish ours would open the door before the independent cinema.”

A letter of reproach to the revolution

Reviewing Rags and Tatters, Art Critic Tarek Shinnawi said, “Although the film did address the events of the revolution, the director was keen on delivering a letter of reproach to the revolution that failed to improve the status of the poor and resolve their countless problems despite its success in ousting the regime.”

 Shinnawi added that the decision to show the film in cinemas for one week was a wise one. “The film has a nature different to the taste of the Egyptian audience and is more suitable to the educated and elite segment of society. Thus, speculations about its ability to compete with popular films are nonsense, since ‘Rags and Tatters’ is of a completely different genre,” he said.

 “Unable to compete”

Critic Magda Khairallah criticized the elitist nature of the film and said such independent films are unable to compete with popular ones that have recently invaded cinemas. However, she stressed the necessity of such films. “These films attract a certain audience that is keen on watching them and this audience will increase in the coming period, due to the increased awareness of the importance of their artistic messages. Despite my admiration of these films, they will never be able to compete with the popular films that please a large segment of the Egyptian society.”