S.M. The ending was enigmatic on account it mainstreamed two different characters of different social classes in holy matrimony. What was the main motif behind the wedding ceremony between Adel Emam's (Zaki) and that of Hind Sabry's (Buthaina)?
M.H. The ending had a strong impact on the movie's fold on account it mainstreamed Egyptians from the lower class and those of bourgeoisie standing together. The concept of the wedding - also known as the 'merger' - served its purpose by pinpointing an important element of social deviations and stressing the fact that we all have to live together! You cannot alienate people due to their social standing. The main motif is to accept and tolerate differences amidst our cultural gaps, religious beliefs, race, colour, etc.
S.M. Zaki's character played by Adel Emam is deeply moved by his country's transition. He is a man deeply rooted to Cairo's glorious past and is very nostalgic. He would often go to an exclusive elite night club at a prestigious hotel to feel the essence of Cairo's pastime glory. Was it your intention to have Yusra play the piano for him seductively, so as to lure Zaki metaphorically and have him travel in time back to his beloved old Cairo when it was still within its prime?
M.H. Zaki feels alienated today. He cannot blend in with modern Cairo and his entire world has changed. He feels the need to be nostalgic because he feels out of place and a stranger in his own home.
© Good News Group
S.M. Would this film, with all of its cultural taboos and associations, have been effective 10 years ago or even produced?
M.H. I think the film effectively fits in today's world and strikes a cord rather than being a movie visually perceived in the past. We need these sort of movies now and we feel more connected to them now in comparison to how we might have not been moved by them in the previous years.
S.M. The abuse during the negotiations in the film, when the Egyptian intelligence were cross examining the fundamentalists, was upsetting. The movie was bald, as it portrays a poor boy who was down-sized all of his life and dismissed by the police academy's admittance due to his father's profession of being a door-keeper (bawab). Thus, this misfortune hinders the boy to a world of extremism and surges his despondence of his shattered dreams onto a new extremist faith and later gets abused in jail and avenges his stolen dignity. Do you think this storyline had some light on discussing the true problem that awaits our youth, the problem being religious extremism and terrorism?
M.H. I believe that terrorism in the Middle East or in Egypt has not been tackled correctly. This is not the way to fight terrorism. It has been more than 30 years and terrorism is still being manufactured through despondent hearts and extremist followers who see no beauty in living in a world full with so much corruption and distinctions. You cannot fight terrorism with force or by reducing yourself to barbaric rituals. The quest in which terrorism can be subdued is through opinions, thoughts and voicing out what cannot be said but in a humane manner.
S.M. Adel Emam's character was fixated on Cairo's past and infamous for his promiscuous lifestyle. He never insulted or disgraced a woman and was very cultured when it came to courting ladies and very open about his desires and wants. Do you think Cairo needs to evolve first, to change its mentality when it comes to opposing women's rights or other forms of disrespect?
M.H. How men treat women is not the issue. The real issue lies in respect, in general. We need to respect one another first, respect our fellow peers, citizens, pedestrians on the street first before we tackle the issue of how men treat women. One must treat everyone with respect, especially in your moving vehicles.
© Yann Arthus-BertrandWe are certainly the green generation. We are, in theory, concerned about the environment and in harmony with the major green principles. However, we are bothered by what it takes for them to be applied. Though familiar with all kind of '-ables' (equitable, durable, reasonable, responsible, bearable, renewable), we remain guilty of inaction. Leaving a clean planet for the generations to come is our lofty goal, but telling is easier than doing.
HOME is a documentary released in June 5, 2009, directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and gracefully narrated by Glenn Close. Arthus-Betrand, French photographer best known for his aerial photographs of the Earth, is a master identifying colours, angles and patterns that show the Earth at its most beautiful.
© Yann Arthus-Bertrand
He delivers us his 'earth from above footage', a feast for the eyes with a strong ecological message. Indeed, he takes the viewer back to the beginning of time and explains how and when life on Earth came about. He also puts us directly onto the facts: 'It is too late to be pessimistic'.
The documentary follows Al Gore's famous environmental movie, An Inconvenient Truth. With the last climate change summit, the COP 15, and its failed slogan 'System change, not climate change', the documentary is completely up to date!
HOME is a beautiful, indispensable and responsible film which won't let you down. When it's over, you leave with its fantastic images floating around in your head, reminding you how beautiful this planet actually is. What can you do to save it? At least, that is the idea.
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The cinematography of this documentary is amazing, even the images of pollution of the environment that humans have caused look remarkably appealing to the eye. But this documentary is much more than a stream of beautiful images from across the world.
© Yann Arthus-Bertrand
The message that the documentary contains is a strong one: unlike our nations, our ecosystem doesn't have any borders. As humans organized in nation states, we spend 12 times as much on weapons to defend ourselves from each other than we spend on aid for the poorest. The effects of the exploitation of our shared ecosystem will affect us all and will hit those who already face the toughest circumstances the hardest. The problems that our world faces cannot be solved by any country alone. Too long have we focused on what separates us as citizens of specific countries, without realizing that we are all bound together as human beings. Without a rapidly growing global awareness of the situation we are facing, we will leave a much harsher environment for our children, in which natural resources on which we all depend will become increasingly scarce.
I am a student in my twenties. The state the world is in today is how my generation will inherit it, before we will have had the chance to have any effect on this trend. Can this really be the inheritance of a generation that dedicated itself to peace, love and happiness? Maybe it's not too late just yet. You might still be a sceptic about the message the documentary tries to convey after reading my comments, but I promise you this: it will be much harder to be sceptic about that message after having watched Home.
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