Directed by Ruba Nadda

Starring Patricia Clarkson

Poor neglected Cairo. Film has long ignored the fabled city, eschewing the Nile and pyramids for middle east conflict... or Brendan Fraser’s latest. However Cairo Time, the latest from Canadian director Ruba Nadda attempts to put a romantic twist on a location Hollywood has chosen to fill with mummies.

Reminiscent of Lost in Translation and The Darjeeling Ltd., place proves to be a strong character. The romance of the pyramids, the tension between modern convenience and ancient traditions; the film is as much a love sonnet to the historic city as the camera gazes longingly into the desert romance.

Ruba Nadda is charmed by the culture of Cairo, as she fills the screen with vibrant markets, sacred temples and crowded streets. Street noise and song figure strongly, as Nadda passes on her appreciation of all things Cairo. The love of place is mirrored in the unsuspecting East/West romance that springs between the main characters.

Unfortunately in Cairo, the characters aren’t quite as interesting as the city, as there are time the languid romance threatens to lose the audience amidst the sand dunes. The romantic tension warms at slow cooker pace, allowing plenty of time for character development. However compared to the aforementioned films, one is left wanting. Pace has a different meaning in Cairo (and yes, I understand that’s part of the point).

Patricia Clarkson delivers a nuanced yet peculiar performance as a lonely journalist unexpectedly charmed by her missing husband’s former co-worker.

She is visiting Cairo to fulfill a promise to her U.N. employed husband to one day see the pyramids, however he’s held up in a conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Enter tall, dark and handsome Alexander Siddig, time, beauty and watch the results.

Clarkson appears to glide through the film in a daze, battling heat and glares from Egyptian men, which is a departure from many of her other roles.

Confused by emotions of attraction, abandonment, enchantment and frustration, she spends much of the film switching from visages twisted by conflicted and tenderness.

Siddig (best known for his work on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) is well cast as the unsuspecting suitor. His role of protector and guide is charming, as are his sparring matches with Clarkson.

Introduced as a ‘chick flick’ (I was one of six men in the packed theatre) Cairo Time doesn’t deviate from the genre. Bloody conflict rages a bus ride away from the city, but is never seen. The Gaza strip is used as a plot device, but the threat of violence is used more effectively than explosions. Middle east politics give way to white deserts and pyramid shots. We are not here to solve the world’s problems, only to explore illicit love. Discussion about problems such as child workers and violence against westerners are dismissed as ‘complicated’ by Siddig.

The movie does offer Cairo’s charms, and has generated some buzz as a potential candidate for the Canadian entry into the Oscar’s Best Foreign Film category. It’s certainly recommended for those seeking a languid trip down the nile.