“Are you with him?" the passport officer at Cairo International Airport asks a man called el-Masry, as he finishes stamping the American passport of another passenger ��" both have just arrived from the US. "No," answers el-Masry (which literally means Egyptian), as he presents his Egyptian passport to the officer for an entry stamp. "Stay around for awhile," the officer tells el-Masry indifferently as he hands the Egyptian passport to an assistant to check it. He has to cool his heels for long minutes, until the officer's suspicions are alleviated. The opening scene in Assal Eswed (Black Honey) presages a series of funny-yet-narrowing situations for its protagonist, played by Egypt's comic sensation Ahmed Helmi. El-Masry is an Egyptian photographer, who also holds US citizenship. He decides to return home to settle down after being in the States for 20 years. He has made one small mistake ��" he's left his American passport behind in the US. What he thought would be a matter of little importance proves to make a great difference during his exploration of his homeland. He is taken for a ride (excuse the pun) by a limousine driver who picks him at the airport. He is cheated and mistreated by receptionists at hotels. His shoes are stolen when he enters a mosque in Islamic Cairo to take photos. He is nabbed, physically abused and briefly jailed for taking photos of the River Nile. El-Masry cannot figure out why he lands in so much trouble in his homeland. "I am an Egyptian citizen and I have rights," he tells an abusive policeman. "And I'm an Egyptian police officer who has the legal right to arrest anyone I'm suspicious of," retorts the policeman aggressively. Soon it dawns upon el-Masry that, if he had his American passport with him, it would make a big difference. So he has his ‘magical' passport sent out to him from the States. Once he gets it, he flings his Egyptian passport into the Cairo sky from the lofty balcony of his hotel room overlooking the Nile. However, it doesn't take him long to lose his American passport, mobile phone and money at an anti-US protest. From then on, el-Masry plunges deeper and deeper into the contradictions of Egypt. His daily contacts with the locals bring him face to face with Egypt's problems with bribery, inefficient education, unemployment, housing shortages, pollution and poverty. At the same time, he seizes on the bright side of the country, what makes it appealing to locals and foreigners alike ��" the people's warm feelings, hospitality, honesty and resilience. Much to his relief, he is informed that a local man has handed in his passport and wallet with the money in to the American Embassy. But he has already made up his mind to go back to the US. But minutes after his plane takes off, he has a change of heart and wants to return to Egypt, attracted by its bitter-sweet mystique. He feigns sickness. "Is he an Egyptian or a foreigner?" a chief steward asks a stewardess. "He looklike an Egyptian," she answers. "Then give hi some pills." Having already learnt his lesson, el-Masry brandishes his American passport as he pretends to writhe in pain. "He's got an American passport," a concerned stewardess tells the steward, who immediately tells the passengers to fasten their belts "because we're going back to Cairo".
