Heen Maysara (Until Better Days) is a 2008 Egyptian
release by Khaled Yousef. The film opens up on the slums
of Egypt, and paper clippings from archives provide the
viewer with an image of the poverty and the escalation
of violence in the Egyptian society. Heen Maysara is an
important film that traces social evolution on a
backdrop of war (the Gulf War up to the invasion of
Iraq) and shows how the government uses violence to deal
with issues such as social crisis and unemployment.
However, the
particular point of interest to us is the lesbian scene
which had the film condemned by Islamic scholars who
considered the homosexual aspect an influence of
“immoral Western culture.” The lesbian dynamics in Heen
Maysara are quite reminiscent of the gay segment in the
film “The Yacoubian Building.” They are based on a
rich/poor difference; the rich woman (Ghada Abdel-Razeq)
being the predator, and the innocent woman (Summaya Al
Khashab), being a wanderer in search of a way out from
the slums.
The scene is as
follows: Sumaya Al Khashab sits in front of the mirror
wrapped in a towel when Ghada Abdel-Razeq approaches.
The close up of Abdel Razeq’s hand wandering on Al
Khashab’s shoulder opens the scene, then she tickles her
and they both move to the bed, the lights are turned
off, and suggestive giggles and whispers are audible. It
all comes to a halt when Sumaya Al Khashab’s character
turns on the light and asks: “Is my body all that men
and women want?” to which the other replies “It’s not
like you have something more to give.”
I personally am
left to wonder, what if this wasn’t just a physical
matter? Would she have been willing to give herself
further or was it just a matter of economic superiority?
Because eventually, after she runs away, she comes back
years later asking for help, to leave yet again. Leave
why? Because, according to many films, lesbians are
portrayed as vampire-like; they want to possess you,
they love to throw wild parties, and last but not least,
they ogle at belly dancers and make bets over them with
men.
In conclusion, the
director tries to talk about too many issues in a
limited time. Thus, the altogether feel of the film is
not as satisfying as the “Yacoubian building,” as the
film tries to draw the portrait of a decade and the
evolution of its heroes throughout the years and loses
the attention of the viewer on many occasions. That
said, the movie remains an important portrait of the
not-so-hidden parts of the Egyptian society. |
