Sleepless Nights

Hani Khalifa's 2003 Egyptian film is about the friendship of four married couples. All are middle class, from the same circle and have known each other for years; when they gather for a birthday the cracks in the marriages become visible one by one. One woman is suffocating in her husband's indifference, another is under pressure over having a child, and one couple has been carrying something for years they cannot speak about. The men's decision to go to Alexandria splits the story in two and truths emerge on both sides. The film questions marriage as a social obligation and gives its women an unusual amount of speech for Egyptian commercial cinema. It caused argument on release and drew a large audience. Who it's for: viewers who like relationship drama and Egyptian cinema. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a resolved ending; the film keeps that restrained.