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El Watar: A feast for the senses, nothing more El Watar only proves that artistic standards are not enough to uphold the quality of a film if it's devoid of essence
Magdy El Hawary's El Watar (The String) having been released amongst many other much-hyped films – such as678 which tackles sexual harassment, or the dark, social dramaEl Shouq, and even the tackyBonne Soirée - was overshadowed. El Wataris a psychological thriller, a genre that hasn't been much in evidence in Egyptian cinema, which is possibly why the film had a lot of drawbacks. In the film, the murder of a man is being investigated, with two sisters, Maisa (Ghada Adel) and Menna (Arwa Gouda), the suspects because of their involvement in a love triangle with the victim. As the detective digs deeper into the case, he gets entangled in the lives of the sisters. Many elements of film noir are present; the investigating detective, the dim lighting in numerous scenes, the sexual motivations, games of seduction and the presence of a femme fatale character, played by Ghada Adel. Maisa was too dark a persona for Ghada Adel to capture. Instead of exploring the complicated psychology behind the character, Adel's performance hid behind a stereotypical depiction of such a person, with a cigarette between her fingers in almost every scene. Both sisters perform in the Cairo Symphony Orchestra. Maisa plays the violin and Menna the cello. In one of the earlier scenes the orchestra was dimmed, with the light focused only on the two sisters playing a duet, which paid heed to the underlying web of jealousy, scheming and rivalry between the sisters. The melody was both gripping and beautiful and as mentioned in the film in several instances, it could only be played by the two instruments played by the sisters, the violin and the cello. The occurrence of the melody throughout the film gave it different connotations and meanings, depending on the context. The Rai band, Sahra also appeared in the film as Maisa's band, adding a touch of fusion to the mostly classical music.The extensive presence of music, weaved with aesthetically-pleasing visuals was a feast for the senses. The camera captured wonderful colour compositions with varying angles accentuating the bleak mood. The strings of the instruments were not only important in producing music, they were also the murder tool. They served as a symbol, voiced by Maisa when she said that life is like those strings, if one chord dissents then the whole formula collapses. Ironically, the intricate balance of the violin's strings with what it symbolised was not accomplished.The film had a lot to work with; sibling strife, domestic violence, sexual abuse and a sinister, haunting past that preoccupies each character. Yet it is all meshed together to create a cocktail of clichés, accompanied by unconvincing acting and bad dialogue. It is weak plot and the not-so-surprising, or rather the over-the-top twist at the end, shattered everything that was almost good about the film. El Wataris one of those films that have no significant impact on the viewer; it's not bad enough to infuriate you, nor good enough to linger in your thoughts after leaving the cinema. The second you step out of the movie theatre, the film is forgotten. Showing at: Odeon, Cosmos, Serag City Mall, El Haram, El-Salam Concorde Cinema, Ramses Hilton, Golden Stars, Tahrir, Galaxy, Roxy, Stars Cinema, Good News Grand Hyatt, Dandy Mall, Rehab Cinema, Family Cinema, Dream Land Starring: Moustafa Shaaban, Ghada Adel, Arwa Gouda, Sawsan Badr, Ahmed El Saadany Script: Mahmoud Zahran Cinematography: Amr Farouk and Mazen El Motagawel Music: Amir Hedaya and Mohamed Medhat Directed by: Maged El Hawary
