Birds of Darkness

Sherif Arafa's 1995 Egyptian film follows three lawyers who were friends at university. Fathi turns from a principled advocate into an opportunist, Ali seeks financial gain inside religious groups, and Mohsen stays at the margin as an ordinary employee. The argument is that both roads arrive at the same place. The narrative does not treat political Islamism and the business world separately; it shows both using the same network of interest and says that whoever stands between them is crushed. Adel Emam leads; the screenplay is by a writer who, with this director, produced some of the most argued-over Egyptian films of the nineties. The film caused sharp debate on release and is remembered as political satire. Who it's for: those who follow Egyptian political satire and the cinema of the nineties. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a balanced political picture; the film openly caricatures its sides.