Cairo Station (1958)

Director: Youssef Chahine

Stars: Farid Shawqi, Hind Rustum, Youssef Chahine 
Runtime: 77 minutes

Synopsis: A newspaper salesman at the train station in Cairo develops an unhealthy obsession with a woman who sells refreshments.

Performances: 7/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Editing: 8/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10

Verdict: (Visiting 23 countries in 23 days from the comfort of your own home sounds like an impossible task. But through the power of film, #TheFreshPotatoesClub found a way to defy physics and plan a trip around the world through the #CrossingTheOneInchBarrier event. So sit back while I serve as your guide to a country with an immensely rich history: Egypt.)

Oddly enough, Youssef Chahine's "Cairo Station", also known as "The Iron Gate", serves as my introduction to Egyptian Cinema, and quite frankly, I had no idea what to expect from it. I chose it purely due to the fact that it holds a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes and watched it without even looking up its synopsis or the genre in which it belonged.

What I wasn't expecting was to get a condensed, very energetic thriller with a comedic tone that worked like a charm. Chahine, who also delivered an amazing performance as a disabled salesman who developed an obsession with a woman that works at the station in which the entirety of the movie takes place, juggled between the genres in a way that never felt overwhelming. In fact, it did the exact opposite by giving the narrative an entertaining personality that will keep the audience both laughing and grow worrisome as this obsession takes a darker turn.

At only 77 minutes, the movie will end before you realize it but never feels underdeveloped despite dealing with a variety of colorful characters. The issues I have with it mostly come from the fact that it is an old picture that at times falls victim to its time. Some performances came off as a little strong, loud, and over-the-top, but never to a point in which I felt disconnected from the film's universe.

"Cairo Station" is a very fast watch available on YouTube, and I do recommend checking it out if it seems interesting to you!

FINAL GRADE: 7/10