Set in the heart of downtown Cairo, Mahmoud Kamel's Khareg El Khedma (Out of Order), which premiered in Egypt last week, is a social drama with narrow chances of garnering big interest from cinema goers The main character of the recently released Khareg El Khedma (Out of Order or Out of Service)is Saeed (Ahmed El Fishawy), a down and out thief who breaks into abandoned houses, trying to find something to sell to an antique shop, scavenging for food. He stumbles on to a flash drive during one of his thefts, which contains a film clip showing a woman killing a small child. Being indebted to a street criminal named Boogey, he needs to come up with money, so he decides to blackmail the woman in the clip in order to make some cash. Hoda (Shereen Reda) is the woman in the film clip. She is a middle aged woman who lives alone in the same neighborhood. When Saeed approaches her, she allows him inside to talk over the blackmail terms but seems un-phased and unwilling to give in to his extortion entirely. Directed by Mahmoud Kamel, the film is set in the time of Muslim Brotherhood rule, right up to June 30, 2013. The picture's epicenter is the relationship that forms between these two characters following the blackmail. It is a story far removed from the everyday life most of us experience, which at times makes it difficult to relate to in terms of the moral judgments that the characters make. One of the controversial scenes is when Hoda refuses to pay the blackmail money which Saeed responds violently to, ending up in a brawl that finishes with him forcing himself on Hoda. Strangely enough, the next time he shows up to extort her, she allows him in and deals very casually with him. The cinematography is bleak; with barely any colors, and is almost monotone- perhaps to match the underworld which the viewer is exposed to. There is no brightness or bright colors, a slow moving picture to match the sluggish characters who are constantly under the influence of sedative drugs. The sound was well executed with the mixture of Tamer Karawan's film score, detailed sound editing and the humming of revolutionary news in talk shows in the background. Old faces like Reem Magued and Amr Hamzawy appearing on the television screen seem like cameos. Lively discussions centred on issues like the protest law can be heard the background. It is not very clear what the purpose of politics consistently featuring in the background is really intended to mean. Perhaps it is to show both the relationship and disconnect between revolutionary events and these forgotten lives. Throughout the film there is a revolutionary thread which permeates the scenes- whether it's the news on the television or the downtown streets full of political graffiti documenting the country's history and demands to free political prisoners. The real focus of the film is on the relationship between these two lost souls, discarded by society yet managing to find a strange solace amongst themselves. It appears that they need one another- if only for sheer companionship irrespective of what it cost both of them. Their dynamics evolved over time- they tested the relationship and tried to determine what each could gain out of the other. There is a deliberate sense of realism injected into Khareg El Khedma, with very natural performances by the actors and realistic dialogue. The director opted to bleep out swear words normally present in the average street brawl rather than alter the script to make it cinema friendly. However, the scenes seemed to drag on for a very long time- many of them consisted of little more than Saeed and Hoda doing drugs and laying around idly on the couch, watching television. It is unlikely that Khareg El Khedma will garner much interest from the cinema going populace. The story is about characters who are better off if they are left forgotten by society. Their existence is an intrusion; lonely characters who fell out of place with the world but found their way to the motion picture. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/124145.aspx
