CHAOS

Egypt, 2007, 122 minutes, Colour.
Khaled Saleh, Mina Shalavy, Youssef el Sherif.
Directed by Youssef Chahini and Khaled Youssef.

Chaos is a film by the celebrated Egyptian director Youssef Chahine assisted by Khaled Youssef.

The setting is contemporary, Chahine’s criticism of the contemporary middle east, dictatorships, police oppression, fascist styles of justice, an illiterate people, an oppressed people… This is the recipe for chaos.

The film is quite melodramatic in its style, its visuals, the characterisations, and the musical score with themes for particular characters.

The film’s focus is on Khaled Saleh as Hatem, the police chief in a particular district in Cairo. He rules it in the manner of a godfather for the locals, who come to him with all their troubles, and with their money. He deceives his superiors- who themselves are corrupt. He arrests protesters, hides them in a secret cell, tortures them.

On a personal level, he is infatuated with his neighbour, a young school teacher, menacing her, stalking her, eventually jealous of her relationship with a young and uncorrupted D.A, he abducts her and rapes her. This leads to a melodramatic style with ordinary people protesting, revelation of his guilt - and his suicide.

The film has the flavour of Cairo and its neighbourhoods; it has many sub-plots, interesting in a melodramatic kind of way. In many ways, it is a courageous film to be made in Egypt or in the middle-east Mediterranean in the 21st century.

1.The impact of the film? Its portrait of society, culture, oppressed people, illiterate people, moral framework? For Egyptian audiences? Beyond?

2.The director and his long experience of film-making, a film for the 21st century? His comment on Egypt and the Middle East?

3.The title, the opening, the protest and the police, the references to chaos during the film, the end with the final protest and confrontation? The facts of chaos, their causes, results, the possibilities of change or not?

4.Egyptian film-making style, melodrama, old-style and old-fashioned emotion, photography, editing? The musical score – and themes for characters?

5.The opening and its impact, the district of Cairo, the market, the protest, the chase, the shambles of turned-over stalls and food, the arrests? The treatment of the protesters? In the cells? The police, the abuse of Chief, their going to the DA and his freeing them? Their not being released, in the hidden cell? The scenes of torture? The chaos and its results?

6.The ordinary police, the police chiefs? The harshness? Representing the government? The fascist style? Capitalising on the ignorance, illiteracy of the ordinary people? Hatem as a symbol of this kind of oppression? His being an underling, the officials and his kowtowing to them? The lies? His local control, the graft, the personal applications and the giving of money, his solving of problems? His contacts? His using people, taking all the benefits for granted? His infatuation with Nour, stalking her, haunting her? His impositions, finally raping her? His cruelty? His anger, his personal past, wanting to prove himself? Authoritarian Egypt?

7.The officers in charge, protecting themselves, their lies, their not taking responsibility? Their careers? Denying the truth, hindering the investigations, giving false alibis? Defending their reputations? The revelation of the secret cells, the torture, the final confrontation?

8.Hatem as a character, appearance, short and fat, bald, the scene where he tried on the various wigs? Wearing the wig – and it slipping off? His tough stances, the interrogations, the torture? Toadying to his superiors? His capacity for eating, eating while receiving all the locals who gave their money? The informer, the picture, his ignorance in destroying the work of art, lying about the informer? The graft? His eating at various restaurants and refusing to pay, demanding more money? The photos, the altering of Nour’s photo, the life-size photos – and getting them gratis? At home, watching Nour, the advances, the shower, Nour’s mother and her rejecting him? His going into Nour’s room, the fetish behaviour, taking the photos, enlarging it, on his wall? His personal fantasies? Approaching Nour, seeing her with Sherif? Following them to the cinema, watching them, his rage? Sally and helping the set-up? For the release of her father? The meal, his abduction of Nour, her diving into the river, taking her, raping her? His hiding, getting an alibi? The protesters, his running, being chased, his shooting Sherif, killing himself? His final words about never seeing Nour again?

9.Nour’s story, her mother, her educational background, her degree without any education as she explained to the supervisor? Her mother caring, superstitious, the neighbours? Nour at school, her relationship with the headmistress? The inspector and his dissatisfaction at the students not being able to write? Nour telling the truth about the poor education, the teachers not being able to speak English? Chaos? The friendship with the headmistress, her son, sending him messages? Talking things over with Sally, infatuated with Sherif? At home, going to the headmistress’s, the issue of the fiancée, the talk, going out and buying the dress, her modesty with the short skirt? Her own crisis? Love, finally attracting Sherif, going out, the meals at each home, going to the movies, Hatem seeing them? The dinner, his laughing at his wig, the abduction, trying to escape in the river, the brutality of the rape, the blood on her dress, her strong-mindedness, returning home, trying to identify the criminal, with Sherif? At the end and the confrontation?

10.The headmistress, the efficient running of her school, pulling down the political advertisements, the background of her husband, their meeting at a protest? At home, as a mother, her overpowering her son, seeing him in the image of his father? Her dislike of the fiancée? Her son’s leaving home? Reliance on Nour, shopping with her? The joy when the engagement was broken off? The meals, the visits?

11.Sherif, his age, his work as a DA, not corrupted? The protesters? His relationship with the fiancée, her drug addiction, her pregnancy? His going to the dance, his jealousy? His being upset with her? Not noticing Nour, his reaction to his mother, her oppressive behaviour, his later apology? Leaving home, going to his friend, finding his fiancée? Her telling him about the abortion? His reaction? Finding solace in Nour? The meals, the cinema? His reaction to the rape? Going to the police, their reaction against him? Trying to identify the criminal on the river, the computer? The old man and his revelation about the secret cell, going down, his being vindicated? With Nour, Hatem taken? Hatem shooting him? His getting up and confronting Hatem?

12.Egyptian melodrama, emotions, heightened situations and characters, music?

13.The crowd coming together, supporting Nour’s mother, gathering, walking to the station, the protest? The police, the revelation of the secret cell? The contribution of the old man? The truth?

14.Hatem, the confrontation with Sherif, shooting him, shooting himself? Justice being seen to be done?