Set in 1987 against the backdrop of a hunger strike by the Egyptian film industry, Chahine himself steps in to play Yehia, the famed Egyptian director whose life is chronicled in "Alexandria, Why?" and "An Egyptian Story". Obsessed with Amr, the handsome actor he discovered and cast as his alter-ego in parts one and two of The Alexandria Trilogy, Yehia pressures Amr to star in various film projects that change even as Yehia's perception of the young actor begins to change. He first casts Amr as Hamlet, which the actor deems too demanding for his talents, then as the lead in a musical biopic of demigod Alexander the Great, who founded the city of Alexandria in 332 B.C.
Directed by Youssef Chahine
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
3.7 / 5
Cast
Youssef Chahine
Yehia Eskendarany / Marc Antoine / Sostratus / Hephaestion
Yousra
Nadia
Hussein Fahmy
Stelio
Amr Abdel Gelil
Amr / Alexandre / Hamlet
Hesham Selim
Magdy
Tahiya Cariocca
Tahia
Huda Sultan
Nadia's Mother
Seif Abdelrahman
Mohamed Bey
Abla Kamel
Curator
Zaki Fatin Abdel Wahab
Guindi
Mohamed Henedi
Salah Zulfikar
Self
Crew
Youssef Chahine
Director
Khairiya A-Mansour
Co-Director
Youssef Chahine
Writer
Yousry Nasrallah
Writer
Mohammad Nouh
Original Music Composer
Rashida Abdel Salam
Editor
Ramses Marzouk
Director of Photography
Humbert Balsan
Producer
Olivier Ducastel
Sound Editor
Yousry Nasrallah
Assistant Director
Annette Dutertre
Assistant Sound Editor
Nahed Nasrallah
Costume Supervisor
Popular Reviews
3 reviews
Elio Sun
8.0★ · 02/05/26
“To be or not to be, that is the question”This film is the most chaotic yet in his filmography. It explores very brave themes as queer undertones between Yehia and Amr. He himself as usual is an incredible actor just as much as director. He never fails to amaze me. This film remimnds me a lot of Damien Chazelle in a way, the dance sequence gave me La La Land vibes and the film’s overall theme reminds me of Babylon. The chaotic scenes and plots are Lynchian in a way. From the Rayban glasses on the Alexander set, to the insane songs for the films and more. The set design is incredible. The film starts with a singing version of Hamlet, the play being presently spoken about throughout his previous films. I find it very meaningful and important to start with the famous line in the play. Though this one could be the weakest film of his for me, still struck me.
“To be or not to be, that is the question”This film is the most chaotic yet in his filmography. It explores very brave themes as queer undertones between Yehia and Amr. He himself as usual is an incredible actor just as much as director. He never fails to amaze me. This film remimnds me a lot of Damien Chazelle in a way, the dance sequence gave me La La Land vibes and the film’s overall theme reminds me of Babylon. The chaotic scenes and plots are Lynchian in a way. From the Rayban glasses on the Alexander set, to the insane songs for the films and more. The set design is incredible. The film starts with a singing version of Hamlet, the play being presently spoken about throughout his previous films. I find it very meaningful and important to start with the famous line in the play. Though this one could be the weakest film of his for me, still struck me.
