Marina of the Zabbaleen 2009 Hollywood Movie
Cast And Crew
Directed by: Engi Wassef
Writer :Engi Wassef
Film Camera:Rob Hauer
Production Companies:Blue Nile Productions
Release Date: 9/9/2009
Genre: Documentary
Language: English
Plot Summary
In the sandy villages outside Cairo, the Zabbaleen eke out a living recycling the flood of waste pouring out of the most populous area on the African continent. But one girl six-year-old named Marina dreams of a better life.
Review
Pigeons take wing in freewheeling circles but always return to their cages. A kite soaring serenely over a verdant field of corn turns out to be made of refuse. Symbolism runs thick in Marina of the Zabbaleen, first-time director Engi Wassaf’s look at a community of Coptic Christians who eke out a living recycling garbage and raising pigs on the outskirts of Cairo. The most omnipresent symbol is Marina herself: a good-natured, studious six-year-old girl who hopes to become a doctor. The doe-eyed girl is a sympathetic presence in a coarse, fetid environment, whose inhospitality Wassaf underscores by shooting through barred windows, door frames and alleyways. Rob Hauer’s cinematography brilliantly captures Cairo’s parched, sepia-toned afternoons, and his creative use of lens flare adds an occasional touch of psychedelic haze. Where the film falls short is in Wassaf’s failure to pursue the critical issues she glancingly raises. Is Egypt justified in its outsourcing of sanitation to foreign contractors whose methods are less eco-friendly, and what is the place of an obscure Christian community within an ever-growing Muslim majority?—Steve Smith, associate Music editor, Classical & Opera
Director Engi Wassef finds hope in the squalor with this portrait of a young girl from the “Zabbaleen” (trash collectors and sorters who live on the outskirts of Cairo) who longs to escape her grim surroundings by attending school becoming a doctor. On the outskirts of Cairo exists a toxic shantytown where mountains of trash stand in filthy contrast to the nearby great pyramids. Here, the impoverished but industrious locals earn their living by bundling and reselling paper, and raising pigs amidst the rotting refuse. This is one of the most populous areas on the African continent, yet few of the youngsters raised here never receive a proper education. Marina is a six year old girl whose mother earns a living by sorting paper, and who attends school daily in hopes of escaping her miasmic playground and becoming a doctor. While many of the children born in this environment will likely die here, Marina is determined to build a new life for both herself and her struggling family. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
No comments:
Post a Comment