CAIRO - In his melodramatic comedy Alzheimer's, Adel Emam is born again. The 70-something super-comedian has rediscovered his inexhaustible talent, mercilessly elbowing his far younger colleagues out of the competition this season. Cinemas screening Alzheimer's across Egypt have been packed with young and old alike, coming to watch the super-comedian celebrate his victorious comeback, after his reputation took a knocking in that dumb comedy Bobos. In Alzheimer's, written by scriptwriter Nader Salah Eddin and directed by Amr Arafa (who also directed Emam's The Embassy in the Building), Emam plays business tycoon Mahmoud Shoeib, who wakes up one morning with Alzheimer's. It is his private nurse (Nelly Karim), who discovers this. Emam plays his part brilliantly, as he strives to remember old places, old events, old friends and old associates. The audience shares in his struggle, as he tries to recall distant memories and convince himself that everything is all right. The businessman attempts to break the siege imposed upon him by his sons Karim (Ahmed Rizq) and Sameh (Fathi Abdel- Wahab), who warn him that he'll risk his life if he goes out. A heart-touching scene shows him visiting to an old friend, Omar (played comedian Saeed Saleh), who is suffering from senile dementia and has been cruelly abandoned by his children in an old people's home. Despite their mental frailty, their brief meeting is intensely emotional, tearful and human, especially when Omar unintentionally wets himself in the presence of his old friend. Fortunately, the businessman discovers that his debt-ridden children are planning to exploit his weakness, as they're only after their father's money and property. Mahmoud also discovers that the nurse, gardener, maids and servants are all being paid by his ungrateful children to co-operate in their cruel plot. Emam's comic talent sparkles in Alzheimer's, especially after the interval, when he decides to discipline his errant sons. But it seems unnecessary that Emam should fly to an old colleague living in Lebanon, who together plot his sons' downfall, framing them for smuggling heroin into Egypt. The boys, after their arrest, walk free because the heroin is only flour. It must be admitted that Emam alone is not responsible for the success of Alzheimer's. Composer Omar Khairat's music adds to the emotional drama, while Emam's make-up artist and custom designer have both done their work brilliantly. Cameraman Mohssen Ahmed should be given credit for capturing Emam's expressions and feelings so cleverly. He's done an equally brilliant job.
