You don't have to be well-versed in the history of Egypt to appreciate the Yacoubian Building, but it might make for an even richer viewing experience. At times tender, shocking, sweet, brutal, light-hearted and deadly, deadly serious, The Yacoubian Building offers insights into what it means to be an Egyptian. It's a collision of the old world with the new, and the sadly the old seems filled with regret, pettiness and corruption and the new seems filled with anger, despair and religious fervor. It's especially illuminating viewing given the conflict and cultural upheavals occurring in the Arab Spring (though set before it) but, lest it sounds too heavy, this well-crafted movie is a poignant, meaningful look at lives intersecting in the fading splendor of the once grand building, and apt metaphor for Egypt, it would seem. New lovers meet, old lovers part, familial bonds are tested, cultural mores and religious attitudes are explored and questioned, and the human condition is laid bare. As a westerner, it was difficult to see the way women were/are treated in the movie, but there was hope and dignity underlying it all — it's unclear if that extends into reality, but I like to hope so. The movie is based on a book of the same name that is now on my Goodreads list.
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