The Innocent

Atef El-Tayeb's 1986 Egyptian film follows Ahmed, conscripted from a village. He is posted to a detention camp and told that those held there are enemies of the country; unable to read or write, Ahmed accepts this without question. The breaking point is a familiar face. Among the prisoners brought in is a man from his own village whom he respects, and the narrative turns there; how the division between soldier and prisoner is constructed becomes visible. Ahmed Zaki leads. The film met intervention from the censors and its ending was changed; the original close returned to circulation years later. It is counted among the few Egyptian films to take state violence as a direct subject. Who it's for: those who follow Egyptian cinema and political drama. Who it's not for: viewers for whom torture and executions would sit heavily.