The Suspect

Samir Seif's 1981 Egyptian film follows a former thief out of prison and trying to build an ordinary life. He lives with his wife and small son, while his older brother presses him to return to the old trade. The subject is a past that will not let go. The police treat him as the first suspect in every incident, no one around him trusts him and he cannot find work; the narrative builds that vice step by step and narrows the choice to a single point. Adel Emam and Soad Hosny lead. The register is close to noir, with night shooting and the streets of Cairo brought forward. The narrative stands in a fatalistic place and the close is hard. Who it's for: those who like classic Egyptian crime films. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a hopeful close; the film shuts off the way out from the start.