El Hawa Sultan

Heba Yousry's 2024 Egyptian film follows Sara and Ali, close friends since childhood. For years they stayed together in the same circle and the same troubles; then the definition of what is between them begins to change and neither knows what to call it. The film is about the difficulty of moving from friendship into something else. No event triggers the change; it happens over time and everyone around them has a view on it. Family expectation is the narrative's constant pressure. Menna Shalabi and Ahmed Dawood lead. The tone is measured and the humour everyday. The narrative approaches melodrama in the second half and some of its resolutions are too tidy. Who it's for: those who like contemporary Egyptian relationship drama. Who it's not for: viewers expecting unpredictable development; the film follows a familiar road.