Cairo Time is a Romantic film, with a capital “R.”
Patricia Clarkson plays Juliette, an editor of a fashion magazine who comes to
Cairo to visit her husband, who is in the UN. There is a crisis in a refugee
camp, and he is unable to meet her. He sends Tareq (smashingly played by
British actor Alexander Siddig), a former colleague, to meet her. Sensitive Tareq
has smoldering eyes and looks great in a djellaba. He shows Juliette around
Cairo; they share a hookah, and sparks fly. Will she be tempted? Uh, yes.
On my chick flick-ometer, Cairo Time is a 9.5. The
attraction between Juliette and Tareq is believable, and the lush scenes of Cairo
and of the Pyramids backlit by the setting sun are simply spectacular. I
deducted .5 from the chick flick-ometer because I felt that Patricia Clarkson
underplayed her role a bit too much. Also, the dreamy, quiet atmosphere might be too slow for some. But with
that said, for most of us, time spent with Cairo Time will fly by.
