"Miracle Alley" rolls off the tongue better than "Midaq Alley." I haven't read the "source material," but this movie is drenched in Latin American spirit and I find it unfathomable that it has so much in common with a novel set in 1950s Egypt that it needs to have the exact same title. I could be wrong, though.
About half of the movie could be described as a drama concerning the romantic and sexual habits of the residents of a large city. There's the frustrated spouse, the desperate spinster, the hopeless romantic, and the guy just looking to score, all among the backdrop of lower/lower middle class struggles to get mo money. Although the subject matter is similar to that of a telenovela, it's treated more tastefully, and so it works as a drama.
The other half of the work involves various tragedies.
Perhaps the central one involves the hamartia of one of the protagonists. He has a skewed perception of human nature and idealized love that leads to tragic consequences.
Many of the other characters end up getting something they think they want but find out that the grass wasn't as green as they thought.
This film has many characters but few happy endings. Even when they get what they thought they wanted, new unhappiness arises from new large problems they had not foreseen. This is also symbolised in the structure of the film, with the same scene opening every "mini story" that is told from different perspectives.
Ironically the only character who gets a happy ending is one of the most morally bankrupt and unkempt-looking. He gets punished for a crime but when he's finished with that punishment he comes back to enjoy the life he's always loved and known.
Strong acting from most of the cast except the guy who plays Abel, who plays his role in a histrionic style. Although because his plotline is also the least realistic, it might have been done on purpose.
Honourable Mentions: National Lampoon's Vacation. In Midaq Ally, a character in a red sports car is used to represent excitement, seduction, and escape from the mundane. National Lampoon's Vacation uses the same device in a lighter manner, with less dramatic consequences.
About half of the movie could be described as a drama concerning the romantic and sexual habits of the residents of a large city. There's the frustrated spouse, the desperate spinster, the hopeless romantic, and the guy just looking to score, all among the backdrop of lower/lower middle class struggles to get mo money. Although the subject matter is similar to that of a telenovela, it's treated more tastefully, and so it works as a drama.
The other half of the work involves various tragedies.
Perhaps the central one involves the hamartia of one of the protagonists. He has a skewed perception of human nature and idealized love that leads to tragic consequences.
Many of the other characters end up getting something they think they want but find out that the grass wasn't as green as they thought.
This film has many characters but few happy endings. Even when they get what they thought they wanted, new unhappiness arises from new large problems they had not foreseen. This is also symbolised in the structure of the film, with the same scene opening every "mini story" that is told from different perspectives.
Ironically the only character who gets a happy ending is one of the most morally bankrupt and unkempt-looking. He gets punished for a crime but when he's finished with that punishment he comes back to enjoy the life he's always loved and known.
Strong acting from most of the cast except the guy who plays Abel, who plays his role in a histrionic style. Although because his plotline is also the least realistic, it might have been done on purpose.
Honourable Mentions: National Lampoon's Vacation. In Midaq Ally, a character in a red sports car is used to represent excitement, seduction, and escape from the mundane. National Lampoon's Vacation uses the same device in a lighter manner, with less dramatic consequences.