Swedish-Egyptian filmmaker Tarik Saleh continues his incisive critique of post-Mubarak Egypt with Eagles of the Republic, the third installment in his acclaimed 'Cairo trilogy'. Following The Nile Hilton Incident (2017) and Cairo Conspiracy (2022), this new film is a seductive black-comic political thriller set in present-day Egypt. It reveals how the glamorous world of cinema, populated by narcissists infatuated with their own publicity, can be easily co-opted into serving political propaganda.
A Film with Echoes of Classic Satire
The result is a rackety, despairing, and funny film that evokes comparisons to Billy Wilder, István Szabó's Mephisto, and Bertolucci's fascism parable The Conformist. For some, it also recalls Daniel Kehlmann's novel The Director, about 1930s Austrian filmmaker GW Pabst tempted by Goebbels. Saleh's lead is his longtime collaborator Fares Fares, playing an aging Egyptian movie star named George Fahmy, a pampered matinee idol accustomed to cheesy crowd-pleasers. He is bullied into starring in a sinister government-sponsored biopic of the president, with news footage of current leader Abdel Fatah al-Sisi cheekily inserted.
Fares Fares Delivers a Poignant Performance
Fares's gaunt, handsome face conveys vanity, emotional woundedness, anxiety, and self-pity. His aquiline nose resembles a cartoon eagle, echoing the creepy cabal of generals who call themselves the 'eagles of the republic' and persuade George to sell out his integrity. George is a nominal Coptic Christian, making him an object of government suspicion, though he is hardly pious. He is separated from his wife (Donia Massoud) and grown son Ramy (Suhaib Nashwan). Absurdly, he is with young and poutingly untalented wannabe star Donya (Lyna Khoudri), whom he cannot satisfy even with Viagra. She irritably tells him that his middle-aged groaning sound when sitting down reminds her of her dad. George desperately seeks his son's forgiveness for deserting the family, but his attempts are embarrassingly misjudged—like buying an absurdly expensive watch for Ramy's birthday, while Ramy is happier with a copy of Zadie Smith's White Teeth from his girlfriend.
Pressure from the Regime
George faces pressure from the regime due to his louche private life, though he is defended by his affectionate co-star Rula (Cherien Dabis). When his work dries up, he is astounded to learn that his career can only be revived by playing the lead in the president's horrendous vanity project, supervised by dead-eyed secret police chief Mansour (Amr Waked). Unsubtle threats are made on Ramy's life. Poor, preening George finds himself ordered to attend dinner parties convened by the reactionary junta, who all profess feline, insincere admiration for his art.
A Memorable Satirical Moment
At one event, a general smoothly assures the company that Western bigots, wishing to efface Arab achievements, conspire to conceal that William Shakespeare was from the Arabic world and his name was 'Sheikh Zoupir'—which explains, he adds, why he disliked Jews. This is an unimprovable bit of satirical mischief in Saleh's script. George flies high with his eagles before a horrible and sickening descent.
Eagles of the Republic is in UK and Irish cinemas from 22 May.
