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Shafika and Metwali (1978) poster

1978 · folk · honor · tragedy

Shafika and Metwali

Directed by Ali Badrakhan2h 10m1978

The authorities summon many young men for forced labor in the Suez Canal, so Metwally leaves his sister Shafiqa alone with their old grandfather, whereupon Shafiqa is forced to succumb to the temptations of Diab, the district chief's son. As their sinful relationship is revealed, she is forced to leave for Asyut, where she becomes the mistress of Al Tarabishi, the supplier of slaves.

Our read: Shafika and Metwali (1978) reads as a heavy, steady, grounded folk · honor · tragedy entry — measured in intensity, mid-stakes in scope, measured in temperature, nihilistic in outlook.

Movie DNA

Heavy, steady, measured folk / honor, grounded in texture. Nihilistic, mid-stakes, measured.

ElsewhereIMDb7.0313TMDB6.76
  • heavy
  • intense
  • bleak
Video previewNo trailer available for this one.
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Where the cast leads
DNA · twelve axes

How Shafika and Metwali feels to watch.

Each axis is scored by hand, not from votes or genre averages. The bar uses the film's own colours.

MoodHeavy ↔ Cosy
PacingSlow-burn ↔ Kinetic
IntensityGentle ↔ Extreme
WeirdnessConventional ↔ Surreal
HopeNihilistic ↔ Redemptive
StakesIntimate ↔ Epic
HumourNone ↔ Broad
RealityGrounded ↔ Fantastical
DensitySparse ↔ Twisty
WarmthCold ↔ Tender
AuteurTransparent ↔ Signature
Tonight, this looks like

What watching it is actually like.

“You want a raw Egyptian drama of a woman crushed by honor and poverty.”

ends devastatingit will wreck youa slow buildgrips by minute 45attention 4/5earns its lengthsubtitles: full
Date nightWith friendsSoloWith parentsKids around
Heads-upsexual violencenudity

Skip it tonight — You want easy viewing or cannot handle coercion and patriarchal tragedy.

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