Yomeddine is an Egyptian film about 
a man afflicted with leprosy.
I know. You’re already thinking – I’m out.
But give me a few
minutes to talk you into it.
Whatever your notions are about beauty, family,
freedom, this film will make you reconsider them.
Because Yomeddine isn’t just a film
about leprosy. It features an actor, Rady Gamal,
who has the condition. Gamal’s hands
are disfigured. His face is described by another
character as a hammered nail. It’s heartbreaking.
But Gamal and the director A. B. Shawky
don’t want your pity. Instead with gentleness and
humor, they persuade you to look beyond the obvious.
The title Yomeddine means 'judgment day'.
Gamal plays Beshay, who has spent most of
his life living in a leper colony, 
where he was left by his father.
Beshay is no longer contagious. After his wife dies, he decides to go back to his hometown and find the parents
who abandoned him. His partner on this journey
is his beloved donkey and a 10-year-old orphan,
whose name curiously, is Obama. So Yomeddine
functions as a buddy movie, a road movie,
a character study and a coming-of-age movie
all rolled into one.
But what you sense most strongly 
is Beshay’s quest for dignity.
Leprosy has seriously damaged Beshay physically
and Shawky isn’t timid about showing us that.
We first see Beshay’s back and then his
twisted hands, in close-up.
Beshay is rummaging through a pile 
of garbage for things to sell.
Beshay asks another man 
if he has found anything good.
And the man replies, it’s all garbage.
Beshay laughs. This exchange sets the tone.
A little later, when he enters the colony,
Beshay cheerfully says, "Greetings, sick people."
It’s funny. And very quickly, we start to
see beyond Beshay’s physicality. We see
his wit, a flash of temper, his tenderness
toward his sick wife. Shawky presents him
not as exhibit A to be gawked at but a fleshed-out
character portrayed with profound empathy.
Beshay and Obama’s journey – on donkey,
lorries, trains and boat – is tough.
People recoil when they see Beshay. There's this
harrowing scene on a train – Beshay is being
pushed around and eventually he shouts – I’m
a human being. The stark Egyptian landscapes
reflect his desolation. The film’s naturalistic
style makes the narrative matter-of-fact.
The story does become sentimental. The flashbacks
are structurally clumsy.
But Yomeddine doesn’t get sappy or manipulative.
Both Gamal and Ahmed Abdelhafiz who plays
Obama, are non-professional actors.
Shawky found Gamal when he made a documentary on
a leper colony north of Cairo. But both actors
have screen presence and charisma. So even
when the plot meanders, you enjoy their company.
At one point, a character explains that they
are all outcasts and there is no cure for that.
But in Yomeddine, the outcasts are the
heroes. They have generosity and spirit and
despite their grim circumstances, a sense
of humor. I found the film moving and inspiring
and I think you will too. Don’t be scared by
the subject matter or the subtitles.
Give it a chance.
