Swedish-Egyptian filmmaker Tarik Saleh continues his incisive critique of post-Mubarak Egypt with Eagles of the Republic, the third installment of 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 contemporary Egypt. Saleh explores how the glamorous film industry, populated by narcissists enamored with their own publicity, can be easily co-opted into political propaganda.
A Film with Echoes of Classic Cinema
The result is a rackety, despairing, yet funny film that evokes the styles of Billy Wilder, István Szabó's Mephisto, and Bertolucci's The Conformist. It also recalls Daniel Kehlmann's novel The Director, about Austrian filmmaker G.W. Pabst tempted by Goebbels. Saleh's longtime collaborator Fares Fares stars as George Fahmy, an aging Egyptian movie star comfortable with cheesy crowd-pleasers, who is coerced into leading a sinister government-sponsored biopic of the president. News footage of current President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is cheekily intercut.
Fares Fares's Poignant Performance
Fares's gaunt, handsome face conveys vanity, emotional woundedness, anxiety, and self-pity. His aquiline nose resembles a cartoon eagle, echoing the cabal of generals calling themselves the "eagles of the republic" who pressure George to sell his integrity. George is nominally Coptic Christian, making him suspect to the government, though he is hardly pious. He is separated from his wife (Donia Massoud) and son Ramy (Suhaib Nashwan). Absurdly, he is with young, untalented Donya (Lyna Khoudri), whom he cannot satisfy even with Viagra, and who mocks his middle-aged groans. George desperately seeks forgiveness from his son, with embarrassing attempts like buying an expensive watch, while Ramy prefers a copy of Zadie Smith's White Teeth from his girlfriend.
Political Pressure and Satirical Mischief
George faces regime pressure for his louche private life, defended by co-star Rula (Cherien Dabis). When work dries up, he is told his career can only revive by playing the president in a vanity project supervised by dead-eyed secret police chief Mansour (Amr Waked), with threats on Ramy's life. George attends soirees where the junta professes insincere admiration for his art. At one event, a general claims western bigots conceal that Shakespeare was Arab, named "Sheikh Zoupir," explaining his dislike of Jews—a brilliant satirical moment. George flies high with his eagles before a horrible descent. Eagles of the Republic is in UK and Irish cinemas from 22 May.
