Bel Alwan El Tabieyya (In Natural Colors) (2009)

Bel Alwan El Tabieyya is, by far, one of the strongest and most thought-provoking movies ever to come out of the Egyptian movie industry. Stylish in its direction and screenplay, the movie combines fast pace with deep, intricate ideas that pass swiftly in a scenery that is, at its heart, an ironic and heart-breaking caricature.

At the center of the film's plot is Yusuf, a high school boy whose mother screams and wails when he receives the news that he will study art and not medicine in university. He's talented and innocent and communicates with God at many points in the film. In the faculty, Yusuf is shocked. His professors ask him and the students to draw nude models in the name of learning. Disgusted, he returns back to God. He asks for His forgiveness and asks Him to guide him to use his talent in useful ways. He tells God he will never do this madness again..."Except this year because it has year work marks", he adds shamefully.

Yusuf's idea of God as we begin the movie is a very superficial one. He sees God as a dictator ready to punish at any time and we sense that he worships God out of fear, rather than love or honesty. He expects God to constantly answer him, to guide him and he is not aware that God sometimes likes to give him the steering wheel over his own life.

Yusuf is tormented and lost by the meaning of life. He cannot find truth anywhere and everywhere he looks, he sees faces that are as fake as the ones in his paintings. He sees faculty members that are not ready to teach and students who are not willing to learn. He sees contradictions on every turn and extremes on every way. Even the love of his life goes from one extreme to the other. All this happens in such an interesting pace and supported by surreal characters that seem to haunt Yusuf rather than help him on his path towards redemption.

What Yusuf realizes at the end of the movie is profound and interesting. As he paints his interpretation of The Divine Comedy for his graduation project, Yusuf explains that God's Hell would not be a physically tormenting one but the idea of simply being away from God...Of being away from all His love and kindness is the true torment of Hell. On the other hand, being close to God and His love is the true blessing of Heaven. This is simply one of the many many many questions and views that the movie asks and promotes.

I had my jaw dropped as I watched Bel Alwan El Tabieyya since I just could not believe the smoothness and beauty of the cinematography and the intricate way the scenes are filmed to the psychedelic and addictive music of Soap Kills. Arabic movie buff or not (I know I'm not!), you should watch this movie soon; you won't regret it.