Director: Mohamed Diab
Language: Arabic
Single-location movies are often considered the ultimate challenge for filmmakers. Clash is one such chamber piece, shot entirely in a small police truck.
Set in the backdrop of the turmoil that followed the ousting of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, the movie dissembles the propagandas of various political narratives on the event.
The 24-hour plot details one of those days of political unrest, which led to widespread clashes across the country.
Two AP journalists are manhandled by the police as protests erupt in Cairo. A group of protesters are mistakenly detained and pushed into a truck where the journalists are also kept. When a few Morsi supporters start stone pelting, they are also tossed into the truck.
The detainees in the truck are from different political and religious backgrounds. While some of them support Morsi’s return to power, others hail military rule: different, yet together.
As the movie progresses, the demonstrators in the vehicle forget their differences and unite. They take turns to stand near the window to breathe fresh air; they close the window with their clothes when a tear gas is thrown at them; they share a bottle of water. Together, they put forward a gritty fight for survival.
The director smartly addresses the confusion among the general public of Egypt – whether to identify themselves as pro or anti Morsi.
Although certain parts of the film are squeezed into the script just to heighten the tension among the audience, that doesn’t ruin the whole feel of the film. An unbiased documentation, Clash gives the perspective of both sides of the supporters.
Now, the question is, are they safe inside the police truck or not?
