New Jersey Stage 2017: Issue 8 | Page 23

Thankfully Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab simplifies the political background of his claus- trophobic drama, Clash, without ever dumbing it down. The mov- ie begins with some text that explains in simple terms how at the time of the movie’s events, 2013, the Egyptian Army has ousted the Muslim Brotherhood from power, leading to street clashes between supporters of both groups. It’s a lot easier to comprehend than the opening crawls of any of the Star Wars prequels, and it sets the scene for the drama to follow. Diab’s camera stays in the stuffy confines of a police truck (what we might call a ‘Paddy Wagon’ or a ‘Black Mariah’), first intro- ducing us to an Egyptian-Amer- ican journalist (Hany Adel) and his locally hired photographer (Mohamed El Sebaey) who are arrested after finding themselves caught up in the trouble. They’re quickly joined by a group of secularists, arrested despite their support for the authorities. Watch the trailer for Clash NJ STAGE 2017 - Vol. 4 No. 8 INDEX NEXT ARTICLE 23