Arafa is a student in pharmacology. He comes from a modest Egyptian background. He resells medication illegally - tranquilizers or stimulants - and transports them in a computer case. His father, who has returned from Iraq penniless, passes his days in his cafe, and is having an affair with the neighbor. His abandoned wife fulfills her sexual desires by rubbing against strangers in crowded buses. Arafa falls in love with a fellow student, Jumana, who comes from a more affluent family. Her father manages a currency exchange office. He takes Viagra, receives erotic massages regularly and has numerous affairs. His veiled wife does nothing. She takes antidepressants and is addicted to online sex. Arafa is attacked and his computer case is stolen. The stolen medication is worth a lot of money and he is the victim of serious threats. Desperate, he attempts to sell the family apartment in secret. Jumana steals money from her father to help him. Both families are on the verge of exploding.


Statement
An obscene chasm between rich and poor; a mere facade of morality and religious practice that mask sexual perversion and repression; media which reinforce a feeling of schizophrenia, insignificance and despair; a million Egyptians whose lives and property have been wrecked in Iraq. And to "lessen" these contradictions, people take "pills": pills to sleep, pills to wake up, pills to quiet an empty stomach, pills to get an erection, pills to have an orgasm, they give them the illusion of strength, control and power. It's a huge market.

Directed by : Atef HETATA
Country: EGYPT
Duration: 95 minutes

Specifications
Locations and shooting dates: fin / End 2009 - Le Caire / Cairo
Shooting language: ARABIC
Working budget: € 1.5 M
Acquired financing (in April 2009): € 0.5 M


FESTIVALS / AWARDS / SCREENINGS / TELEVISIONS

2009 | Cannes Film Festival | CANNES, France
* L'Atelier du Festival (Scripts)