The Yacoubian Building

In central Cairo stands an apartment building that once housed the wealthy. The flats have changed hands, another life has assembled itself in makeshift rooms on the roof, and the building has become a map of the country's classes on its own. Several stories run at once: an ageing playboy, a young man refused entry to the police, a newspaperman, and a woman who has to endure anything to keep a job. Marwan Hamed's first film, adapted from Alaa El Aswany's novel, was described as the most expensive Egyptian production of its time and became the highest grossing Arab film of its year. What made it contentious was its subject matter: corruption, religious radicalisation, torture, and a gay character portrayed in a way Egyptian cinema had essentially never allowed. When the same novel was adapted for television, that character was removed entirely. Its flaw is spread. Across two hours and forty minutes, several of the threads are left unfinished. Who it is for: viewers interested in Egyptian cinema and social panoramas. Who it is not for: anyone who wants a single story to follow.