The Yacoubian Building
The Yacoubian Building
| 01 June 2006 (USA)
The Yacoubian Building Trailers

Cairo: a 70-year-old building of once-luxury flats with tenements on the roof. Zika, an aging libertine, feuds with his sister. Pius Haj Azzam takes a second wife, in secret, to satisfy sexual drive within religious bounds. Bothayna, poor and beautiful, supports her family, wanting to do so with dignity intact. Her former fiancé, Taha, the janitor's son, humiliated by the police, turns to fundamentalism. Hatem, a gay editor, seduces and corrupts a young man from the sticks. Two brothers, Copts, one a tailor and one Zika's factotum, connive for property. Allah is on most everyone's lips, and corruption is in their hearts.

Reviews
Interesteg What makes it different from others?
Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!
SincereFinest disgusting, overrated, pointless
Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.
Lee Eisenberg Arab Spring drew attention to Egypt's autocratic government under Hosni Mubarak. Therefore, Marwan Hamed's "Omaret Yakobean" ("The Yacoubian Building" in English) turns out to be even more important. The movie depicts 21st-century Egyptian society as morally bankrupt, while also looking at topics that are usually taboo in Muslim societies (e.g., homosexuality).I view the movie as sort of an Egyptian version of movies like "Amores Perros" and "Y Tu Mamá También", both of which show the degeneracy of Mexican society by looking at the different aspects of society. Here we see just about every problem that infects Egyptian society. Although the movie is a scathing indictment of what the most populous Arab country had become under Mubarak, it poses the question of whether this is a matter of governance or something else. We saw how the corruption and autocracy continued under Mohamed Morsi, and has gone supernova since the military coup led by Fatah al-Sisi. Indeed, the nationalist and independence movements often betrayed their own ideals, as political parties either became entrenched like in Algeria, or strongmen took over, like Idi Amin in Uganda. Is it doomed to always be like this?! All in all, a very good movie.
sergepesic The modern day Egypt is the main character of this epic. It seems to be a tumultuous place never sure if it wants to be in the West or East. The director of this interesting movie tackles quite a few controversial topics. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism, homosexuality, the poor treatment of women in contemporary Egyptian society, the rampant corruption, still powerful strict class system. Enough topics for a dozen movies, but the director somehow manages to pull it all together. Some of the story lines feel a bit rushed to its conclusion, but all in all an interesting glimpse at modern Arab world. Its people are like any other, scared and imperfect and a bit lost in the complexities of life.
marwashabbar man oh man. what a film; it will leave you dazzled and amazed upon it's beauty. Marwan Hamed is no ordinary director, he is one of the best around. i have never seen such a movie that tackles every issue in the Egyption society so honestly. it is a pure masterpiece and if i was running the Oscars then that movie will sure receive one. A movie so honest and directed, it is designed for all classes describing the social corruption in todays society - not only in Egypt but all around the world. if you miss this movie then you will spend your entire life regretting it so i advice every Arabic and non-Arabic speaker to watch the masterpiece and enjoy the art of this marvelous director whom i have a great respect for. two thumps up
nivinekh I just saw "The Yacoubian Building" last night. Let me first say that it was an ambitious, well-acted film . Ultimately, though, despite the three hours running time, I walked away unsatisfied, defeated by the film's ambition. In an effort to bring all the problems facing Egypt to light, the filmmaker has stretched himself too thin. Each of the topics addressed: the plight of women, homosexuality, corruption, fundamentalism, etc., could easily have been its own full-length film. I was particularly concerned with the fundamentalism segment of the movie. The character and his motivations were too undeveloped to understand his convictions and his actions, and I feel that it is irresponsible to release such a superficial overview to the West. I am worried that this portrayal may help cement some Westerners' anti-Arab view (while I understand that the intention was completely opposite). Overall, as mentioned earlier, I thought that this has the potential to be a fabulous series of movies, but all thrown together, it leaves something to be desired.