Cairo Time

When Juliette, in Cairo to meet with her husband only to find him unexpectedly delayed, wanders the streets, she finds scores of Egyptian men following her, sometimes inexplicably bumping into her or whispering things in her ear. It's odd that in modern times that an educated woman wouldn't realize that wandering around man-less in an Arab country without anything covering her hair, her bare shoulders, or, gasp, cleavage is just plain stupid. But it does set up her need for Tareq, an Egyptian who is a former coworker of her husband. They meet, and he squires her around the city.

This is a love affair, just as much between Juliette and Tareq as it is the film director, Ruba Nadda (also a woman), and Cairo. Much to our benefit. As Juliette begins to figure some things out about the city and its culture, you see her falling in love with Cairo, too. It doesn't hurt that those mysterious pyramids are just off in the distance, one of the seven wonders of the world.

Patricia Clarkson is no longer in her thirties, but she's still a beautiful woman. However, perhaps even prettier is Alexander Siddig, who plays Tareq. Even though there's little action throughout the movie, it's such a pleasure to watch these two - with that ultra-vibrant Cairo background - and wonder what's going to eventually happen. They are both such fine actors that we gain just from being in their company.

There's a betrayal of sorts, but to tell you any more would spoil Cairo Time.

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