Metrograph

The third entry in Chahine’s autobiographical Alexandria Tetralogy finds Yehia (played, again, by Chahine himself) enjoying new international recognition but at another personal crossroads: at loggerheads with his favorite actor, Amr (Amr Abdel Gelil); unable to work due to a strike that has brought an already-in-crisis Egyptian film industry to a standstill; and preoccupied by a beguiling young actress and activist, Nadia (Youssra), whom he envisions casting in the role of Cleopatra, among other things. A funny, freewheeling, fleet-footed young man’s film from sixtysomething Chahine, who employs animated interludes, musical numbers, and other sleights of cinema in a movie that fairly vibrates with love for the medium itself.

Distributor: Janus Films