Mouths and Rabbits

Henry Barakat's 1977 Egyptian film follows a poor family with ten children. Nimat is the eldest daughter and carries the house. Nimat goes to work in a wealthy household and the two worlds meet. The film takes up population and poverty directly; the narrative does not turn it into a pamphlet and carries it through humour. Faten Hamama leads. The title comes from a saying of the period. The tone is light and the outcome bitter. Who it's for: viewers of classic Egyptian cinema and socially themed films. Who it's not for: viewers expecting the question handled neutrally; the film argues an open position.