Yoursy Nasrallah’s Genenet-el-Asmak (The Aquarium), a multi layered voyeuristic look at modern day Cairo through the ghostly driftings of its main protagonists packs in a powerful tale on the politics of fear, repression and existential dread.
Callers on Leila Bakr’s (Hend Sabry) talk show, Night Secrets, reveal their deepest, darkest secrets. She tries to help them grapple with their fears while trying to cope with her own failings. Leila masks her constant struggle with sexual repression (shown as a lovely black and white silent film), and while she seems liberated she makes only hesitant steps towards independence.
Youssef ( Amr Waked), a loyal listener and anesthetist, is similarly fascinated by others lives -whether on the radio, or the mumblings of his anesthetized patients. His nocturnal wanderings, penchant for sleeping in his car, clinical detachment towards father and lover, and his own dark secret make him seem cold , distant and emotionally drained. While both are rich and successful professionals , their lives seem circumscribed by careers, emotionally empty and though they recognize this, they seem overcome by apathy.
Nasrallah extends these voyeuristic wanderings to imbibe the film with political shadows of present Egypt. Big Brother is never far off , especially in the scene with protesters of the Khifaya (Enough) movement, the police seem to out number the protesters. Political and social repression, corruption and the politics of fear make their presence felt throughout the film.
Shot in enclosed yet visible spaces-glass walls in the recording studio, the descent from an old fashioned elevator, the scenes at the aquarium and in the concrete grotto, Youssef sleeping in his car, all showcase the film as one giant fish bowl. Even the movements of the characters is reminiscent of little fish making way for a big fish.
Nasrallah also tried some innovative techniques such as having his secondary characters break in to Bretchian alienation device of talking to the camera. Through these ramblings we are meant to get an insight into the protagonists. Some how, it didn’t work for me. It seemed very grafted on, very Euro-cool. The Arabian nights silent film worked better, perhaps because it was situated more in a local sensibility.
