An Egyptian leper and his young orphan friend journey south in search of family in debuting director A.B.
Shawky’s lovingly made road trip movie, “Yomeddine.” Anchored by lead Rady Gamal’s warm-hearted charisma, the film is a sweet, solid first feature marbled with genuinely touching moments that make up for times when the siren call of sentimentality becomes a little too loud.
Shawky, a relative unknown within the Egyptian filmmaking community and an NYU graduate, shows a sure hand with his non-professional actors and, together with Argentinian cinematographer Federico Cesca, demonstrates a fine compositional eye.
However, Cannes’ decision to put it in competition puts a tremendous amount of pressure on “Yomeddine” that it might not be able to bear, which is a shame as it’s an enjoyable character-driven drama that could please international audiences.The first glimpse we get of Beshay (Gamal) is of his gnarled hands and
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