Coming Forth by Day

I haven't really found my way around Middle-Eastern cinema yet, the problem is that most films I see aren't really that inviting. Coming Forth by Day is pretty basic arthouse fare, a slow and contemplative film that offers little in the way of narrative and relies on characters and mood to make its mark.

We follow a day in the life of Soad, a young woman who lives on the edge of Cairo and has taken it upon herself to care for her mom and bedridden father. Her actions are noble, but the price she has to pay is considerable, as Soad has put her own life on hold to take care of her family.

The sepia glow is nice, and the camera work is decent enough, but visually it didn't feel quite as refined as it needed to be. The soundtrack is mostly absent as the ambient sounds of the city take preference, the performances are decent, though the characters never came to life. The mood just wasn't really there for me, neither did I care too much about the themes of the film.