CINEMA is not supposed to educate its audience, but since the early days of the industry, it has introduced many topics that people would only discuss in secret or were considered shameful to speak of at all. Until now, especially with Egyptian cinema, sex-whether it's the discussion it, or what passes out here for a sex scene – is still taboo. The new film Ahasis (Feelings), which I'm greatly hesitant to see, not due it's subject matter, but because it's accompanied by such “talented” cast, who includes Maria, Dolly Chahain , Marwa, and Ola Ghanim; I have seen their previous efforts of acting in Bidon Reqaba (Without Censorship), which was also directed by Hany Girgis Fawzy, and I wasn't even close to impressed. However, the film has garnered some negative attention about the overt sexuality in it, which raises the question of what is still taboo in Egyptian cinema, since sometimes what is seen as taboo elsewhere is seen here as normal behaviour. Because of that, it comes down to the issue that what is taboo is relative, and although there are some behaviours that are considered worldwide as forbidden, not all cultures necessarily view them that way, or for the same reason. The English film Jude (1996) tells a tale about how two cousins, played by Kate Winslet and Christopher Eccleston, fall in love and must struggle to keep their relationship from a disapproving world, or else face the tragic consequences of public scandal. Their love is considered taboo in the Western world, but in Egypt and the Arab world, romantic relationships between cousins is seen as normal, and in some families it's even welcomed. Certain taboos lose their sting over periods of time. In the West and in Egypt most people are more comfortable than before when they discuss such issues as: alcoholism, depression, divorce, income disparity, and pregnancy. Even if these topics may have been discussed in either a cultural or artistic manner, the way they are dealt with is completely different. The highly acclaimed and controversial Egyptian film Asrar Al-Banat (Girls' Secrets) (2001), about teenage romance and the relationship between two teenagers who fall in love. The girl becomes pregnant, and has to deal with her parents' disapproval and society's wrath. Then there's Juno (2007), the Academy-Award winning comedydrama which deals with the same subject of a pregnant teenage girl. In “Juno”, the only backlash she deals with is from her high schools peers, but she has parents that support her. Here we have the taboo of teenage pregnancy, which is an issue in the western world and in Egypt, but the way these films deal with the subject is, to their respective cultures, very different: one is a tragedy and one is a comedy. This isn't to say that in “Juno” the serious matters were taken lightly; but the perspective is different because the taboo has lost steam due to the awareness of the matter at hand. In Egypt, such a thing is considered a public scandal, and cannot be discussed. This is what happens when a subject that was once considered taboo becomes a topic of discussion at length, it's not seen as the forbidden fruit anymore, and solution can actually derive from the awareness. Another taboo in Egyptian society as well as the Arab world that has its own revolution in the western world is Homosexuality. Vitto Russo, the author of “The Celluloid Closet”, said: “In a hundred years of movies, homosexuality has only rarely been depicted on the screen. When it did appear, it was there as something to laugh at-or something to pity-or even something to fear. These were fleeting images, but they were unforgettable, and they left a lasting legacy. Hollywood, that great maker of myths, taught straight people what to think about gay people…and gay people what to think about themselves.” Since the 1990s, Hollywood has improved its portrayal of gay and lesbian characters. The popularity of films such as “The Birdcage” (1996), “Philadelphia” (1993), “To Wong Foo…” (1995), “Flawless” (1999), “In and Out” (1997), and the Academy- Award winning film “Brokeback Mountain” (2007) demonstrates this. In Egyptian cinema, though, the audience aren't given many ways to look at homosexuals except to fear them, or laugh at them. In Heena Mesara (When Things Get Better) (2007), there is a lesbian character played by Ghada Abd Al-Razak present, who was portrayed as sexual predator. In Imarat Yaqubian (The Yacoubian Building) (2006), Khaled El-Sawy played Hatim Rasheed, a homosexual journalist, who was also viewed as a sexual predator, and blamed his behaviour on his neglectful parents, and gets killed at the end of the film. The film also stirred a lot of controversy and some of Egypt's lawmakers took to the floor of the People's Assembly (The Lower House of the Parliament) to protest against the film's depiction of a gay romance. In the 80's and 90's gay characters were to be laughed at and ridiculed; they played belly dancers' assistants or Madams' assistants at brothels. This is another perfect example about how one subject that harbours a lot of strong feelings is viewed in two different cultures: one positively, one negatively. The bigger difference between the two is that one society has evolved in the way they view certain things that it isn't necessarily taboo anymore. Whether that has made for a better society or not, that's best left for individual consideration.
