My interest in "Microphone" began months before its release, when the news was circulating about the filming of an independent film, which means a film with a limited budget, adopting an artistic vision different than the usual commercial films. With names like Khald Abul- Naga and Yosra El-Lozi, and of course the magic word "independent film", I was waiting eagerly for its theater release, especially after winning several awards at festivals in the MENA region.
Frankly, I feared that the film would not see the light (or to be exact, the dark!) in theaters and will remain a "festivals film". The funny thing is that I have totally forgotten about Microphone because of the great Egyptian revolution, and did not know that it is in the theaters until the end of March, though it was released on January 26th 2011.
Microphone is the kind of movie that you can easily relate to its characters. And although it has many stories and events, every character has agreed on one thing: revolution.
The revolution is found in a boy and a girl who have mastered the graffiti art, only to meet a government official at The National Cultural Centre accusing them of distorting the nature. It is found in the many bands that play rock and roll, rap and hip-hop in the garages and on rooftops. They sing for freedom, and yet accused by that same official of corrupting public taste.
Revolution is also found in a young couple at the college of Fine Arts who are producing a film for their graduation project with a unique idea, until their dream is killed by their backward-minded professor. Found in a young desperate man, with his music that nobody can understand, hoping only to travel to New York and work on a hot dog stand like his father. And another young man who has been using an advertising banner for the candidate of the ruling party as an umbrella which underneath he sells tapes of pop songs, hoping that this banner will protect him from the brutality of the police. A revolution in a teenager who finds everybody asking him: "why are not you in school right now?", because he is skateboarding all day long in the busy streets.
Small links connect film's characters in one way or another, but one key link connects them all, beside the city of Alexandria, "Khalid", the young man who just returned from the US and is trying to discover himself by discovering everyone else. An interesting dialog with his girlfriend runs through the whole movie in flashbacks, where he is trying in vain to persuade her to stay in a country she is sick of, and to return to a relationship which left a pain he got used to live with. Microphone is also a great musical. Songs from Egyptian underground bands like "Massar Egbary", "Mascara", "Y-Crew", "Soot Felzahma,", and some more, have been featured. The band members appeared in the film as themselves, showing challenge and success sometimes, or defeat and disappointment, usually.
Technically, the picture was real and impressive, as a result of reliance on natural lighting in most scenes, and a good choice of the dimensions and optical properties of lenses used. The sound was not on the same level (I saw the film in several cinemas), but it was not bad for an independent production after all. The dialog was carefully wrote, free of affectation, always simple, and philosophical when required.
At the end, I do not think there is something that has helped this film more than its release time. The Egyptian revolution has opened the minds and hearts of people who otherwise would see this film and leave disappointed in the country, and feel sympathy for this poor and creative generation that will die with frustration. But those who I saw and talked to on the ways out of the cinemas have taken a large dose of change, optimism, hope and desire for creativity, and a revolution that is not necessarily in the streets and squares, but in thoughts and actions.
Frankly, I feared that the film would not see the light (or to be exact, the dark!) in theaters and will remain a "festivals film". The funny thing is that I have totally forgotten about Microphone because of the great Egyptian revolution, and did not know that it is in the theaters until the end of March, though it was released on January 26th 2011.
Microphone is the kind of movie that you can easily relate to its characters. And although it has many stories and events, every character has agreed on one thing: revolution.
The revolution is found in a boy and a girl who have mastered the graffiti art, only to meet a government official at The National Cultural Centre accusing them of distorting the nature. It is found in the many bands that play rock and roll, rap and hip-hop in the garages and on rooftops. They sing for freedom, and yet accused by that same official of corrupting public taste.
Revolution is also found in a young couple at the college of Fine Arts who are producing a film for their graduation project with a unique idea, until their dream is killed by their backward-minded professor. Found in a young desperate man, with his music that nobody can understand, hoping only to travel to New York and work on a hot dog stand like his father. And another young man who has been using an advertising banner for the candidate of the ruling party as an umbrella which underneath he sells tapes of pop songs, hoping that this banner will protect him from the brutality of the police. A revolution in a teenager who finds everybody asking him: "why are not you in school right now?", because he is skateboarding all day long in the busy streets.
Small links connect film's characters in one way or another, but one key link connects them all, beside the city of Alexandria, "Khalid", the young man who just returned from the US and is trying to discover himself by discovering everyone else. An interesting dialog with his girlfriend runs through the whole movie in flashbacks, where he is trying in vain to persuade her to stay in a country she is sick of, and to return to a relationship which left a pain he got used to live with. Microphone is also a great musical. Songs from Egyptian underground bands like "Massar Egbary", "Mascara", "Y-Crew", "Soot Felzahma,", and some more, have been featured. The band members appeared in the film as themselves, showing challenge and success sometimes, or defeat and disappointment, usually.
Technically, the picture was real and impressive, as a result of reliance on natural lighting in most scenes, and a good choice of the dimensions and optical properties of lenses used. The sound was not on the same level (I saw the film in several cinemas), but it was not bad for an independent production after all. The dialog was carefully wrote, free of affectation, always simple, and philosophical when required.
At the end, I do not think there is something that has helped this film more than its release time. The Egyptian revolution has opened the minds and hearts of people who otherwise would see this film and leave disappointed in the country, and feel sympathy for this poor and creative generation that will die with frustration. But those who I saw and talked to on the ways out of the cinemas have taken a large dose of change, optimism, hope and desire for creativity, and a revolution that is not necessarily in the streets and squares, but in thoughts and actions.