User Reviews

January 2002. Alaa el Aswani's first novel, Omaret Yacoubian, is published. Within a few months, it has taken the Egyptian book world by Storm. And it's easy to know why. The book is almost exclusively about the 3 taboos in the Arab literature; Politics, Sex (Hetero and Homo), and Religion.

Fast forward to June 2006. Unless you've been living on another planet for the past 2 years or so, you must've heard of the movie adaptation of the book. Seriously, it was nearly impossible to escape the following headlines "Yacoubian is the biggest Egyptian film of all-time", "De Niro says the film is a masterpiece", "Yacoubian gets huge raves at Cannes", etc... In my opinion, that was one of the film's biggest problems; the filmmakers set the bar too high for themselves. So, I walked in expecting to see a breakthrough in film-making. What I got was a great, although flawed, film. So, I was somewhat disappointed.

I didn't like Wahid Hamed's adaptation of the book. The spirit of the novel is there, and the film is much more humorous, but unfortunately, that was it. Maybe because Hamed had to fit the script, so that the bigger stars get the bigger parts, all the secondary characters (Soaad, Dawlat, Malaak, etc...) ended up with almost no screen time. Therefore, these characters came off as 2 dimensional and their actions didn't make a lot of sense. For example, in the book, Soaad is almost a beggar. She constantly asks her friends and relatives for money. In the film, she's a middle class secretary. That's why I never understood why she would agree to be separated from her own son, and marry an older man just for some cash. Another example would be how someone came out of nowhere to kill off one of the main characters.

Director Marawan Hamed did a great job. Yacoubian is his first full-length feature, but he helmed it like a veteran. His camera moved smoothly, his cuts were all in the right places, and he shined in the large-scale (protest, training, and shootout) scenes. I'm really looking forward to his next picture.

Adel Emam (Zaki el Dessouky) was amazing. His turn (his best in ages) was funny yet heartfelt. Khaled Saleh (Kamal el Fouli) and Khaled el Sawy (Hatem Rashid) were also great. In fact, I think Mohamed Emam (Taha el Shazly) was the only cast member who gave a so-so performance. Anyway, he's still a newbie (this is his first film), so he'll probably give better performances in the future.

Yacoubian is one of the most expensive Egyptian films of all-time, and fortunately, the money is on the screen. The costumes, make-up and sets are all top-notch. Khaled Hammad's score was good, but I felt it was overly dramatic in some places (a full Orchsetra playing while 2 people are merely talking?)

So, I'd definitely recommend watching The Yacoubian Building. It's the best Egyptian film in quite some time, and with a better adaptation, it could have been a masterpiece.

"They" say it's overly faithful to the bestselling novel by Alaa Al Aswany which I have not read. . For Egypt, Yacoubian Building is the most expensive film ever (quotes vary). Director Hamid was 28 when he made it and is the son of the screenwriter who did the adaptation. The film is an ambitious and promising if under-edited piece. Perhaps it ought to have been in parts like Marco Tullio Giordana's The Best of Youth/La meglio gioventù, to which it has been compared. But instead it's a somewhat sprawling 172 minutes and feels at times like a smashed-together telenovela.

Hollywood Reporter says the film may "offer a revealing window into the secular world of a modern Islamic country -- its indulgence in alcohol, sexual promiscuity, political corruption and personal betrayals. From such 'deformities, the movie argues, Islamic fundamentalism gains its most passionate adherents." But we can do better than this crude analysis. Moroccan-born ,western educated novelist Laila Lalani points out the book (and consequently the movie) is full of prejudices against gays, resembles the old "large-scale melodramas" produced by Egypt's "huge film industry," with their "young idealists, desirable ingénues, old predators, and so on," and is crudely moralistic -- with almost every character forced to make choices that "ultimately result in either their downfall or redemption." It's also full of heavy-handed emotional manipulation, cliff-hangers, and so on. Alaa Al Aswany is no Naguib Mahfouz. Aside from the prejudice against gays, we're told that mixed marriages produce confused children, that all women love sex enormously, and so on. It's important to realize that however engaging the film is and notable the actors are in the Egyptian film world, it's made out of dross, not gold.

The titular Armenian-owned, Twenties Yacoubian Building in the once elegant, restricted central zone of the city "became home to Cairo's rich and powerful when it opened," Lalani writes. After the revolution, however, "storage sheds on the rooftop were rented out to poor families--a sort of sky-high slum." This allows for a story about the building's residents that spans society. The action is set in the 1990's. And the basic panorama goes something like this:

In the foreground is Zaki Bey El Dessouki, or "Zaki Pasha" (Adel Imam), a superannuated playboy kicked out of the family apartment by his mean, half-crazy sister. He may seem seedy, but he's the house aristocrat. Fanous (Ahmed Rateb) is his faithful manservant. Dawlat (Essad Younis) is his nutty, vindictive sister, who has always resented his fun loving ways and not is out to get him. Hatem Rasheed (Khaled El Sawy) is a gay editor who takes a good-looking soldier Abd Raboh (Bassem Samra) .from the country as his lover. Rasheed isn't mincing, but he reflects an Egyptian discomfort with gayness; still, he's seen three-dimensionally. He likes dark Nubian men because they remind him an early experience with a family servant. The film's treatment of the sexual aspect of Hatem's relationship to the soldier feels like something made in the 1950's. In general sex is a burden for the people in this movie, either a risky temptation or an ordeal. It gets nasty, and then the camera shrinks away.

Haj Assam (Nour El Sheriff) is a self-made millionaire (through a chain of stores selling modestly-priced women's clothing) with political ambitious. wants to get into the People's Assembly (Majlis al Sha'ab) for access to power. He takes a penniless young widow with a young son, Soad (Somaya el Khashab), as a second wife and forces her to have an abortion. As Lalani puts it, Assam "is the nouveau riche to Zaki' Bey's aristocrat." The brothers Abaskharon and Malaak (Ahmed Bedire) are Coptic Christians who save every penny they make, by legal and illegal means, in order to finally afford a room on the roof.

On the roof are Taha (Mohamed Imam)and Buthayna (Hind Sabry). Taha is the son of a bawab. A bawab is a doorkeeper, more like a concierge or a super in New York rather than "janitor" as it's translated. With such a lowly father, Taha is turned down by the police academy as not socially adequate to become an officer, and adopts a "plan B," to major in political science, which leads him to sympathy with the university religions fanatics and he eventually becomes an Islamic fundamentalist. His girlfriend Buthayna leaves him when he becomes religious and eventually she goes to work for Zaki, who's reformed and treats her well. She's previously been sexually harassed in every job she's had -- as we're shown in a lurid scene. Perhaps she feels too defiled to be worthy of one so innocent and decent as Taha, and she seems hardened A reader has pointed out that she is much poorer in the book than here. Laila Lalani says, "Egypt's young men are easy preys to religious extremism while the country's young women are victims of sexual exploitation." Taha is imprisoned and given Abu Ghraib treatment that de-islamicizes him. To get revenge, he trains as a terrorist -- a chain of events that looks frighteningly up-to-date.

The film has little details any Cairo downtown resident will know -- like Zaki yelling angrily because another resident has left the door of the antique elevator open on their floor so no one else can use it. Though this isn't Naguib Mahfouz, like him it attempts to draw a richly representative picture of a whole society. It's a rather sad picture with its disapproval of the present and nostalgia for the past.. And again, despite the three or six million dollars spent, some exterior sound is awful, the wrong kind of lens is used to pan up and down the city buildings, and some of the Islamicists' beards look pasted on. But with all that's going on, it holds your attention.

Shown as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival 2007. Earlier in the year one of the Film Comments Selects series at Lincoln Center, New York.

Omaret Yakobean is my new favorite movie because well everything about it is done perfectly, as in acting, music, storyline, characters... Also, it tackles so many issues and problems in the Egyptian society from corruption, to prostitution to homosexuality to many other things, things that the Egyptian cinema has been too conservative, or "shy" to handle because they are all taboo. But no! this movie tackles all these issues in an upfront and honest, yet classy and sophisticated way. However I have to point out that Mohammad Imam's performance was somewhat shaky, but he overall gave an OK performance for his first movie. On the whole, this movie is a breakthrough for the Egyptian cinema and in my opinion the best movie ever made in the history of the Arab cinema. Hopefully, more movies of that genre will be made in the future because every second of that movie was entertaining in every aspect and i was enjoying it until the very last second, and i even didn't want it to finish.this movie is just BEAUTIFUL!!!

I am still reeling from the dizzying marvel of the grand storytelling of this movie. No movie can be like a book. So I discount all who compare it to a book.

I cared so much for these people, their stories are topical yet universal. The anguishes, the struggles, the personal demons, stay with me...as reminders of the pain of all mankind.

"We are living in the age of deformity" said one of the characters... and so mankind still continues, forming, deforming, renewing itself. When will it end? These are the questions which this film asks of us all. But is the world deformed or - is it we who are deformed? While this movie will not answer such an unanswerable question out loud. We know the truth. But we seldomly face it...Some of us learn our lessons, some do not. But our pasts always come back to haunt us...

I know I've not said anything about the acting, nor the unmatched technical gifts of this movie...but they are what crown this magnificent achievement from the first delicate frame until it's bleak uncompromising ending...

The cinematography, editing, and music must be praised to the rooftops!

***** I recommend this movie to those who are not afraid to see the truth and see it told marvelously.

...

This excellent black drama is a must see despite its nearly three-hour running time, the movie is one of the most watchable and enjoyable pieces of art in Egyptian Cinema.

I didn't read the story before seeing that controversial movie, so I had low expectations. But despite that, got hooked as early as the quality intro that takes you smoothly through an enjoyable ride to discover the background behind that nostalgic building in central Cairo through a Sepia short clip.

The film is an artistic black drama which is full of cultural and political symbolism if you read carefully between the lines, my interpretation is that the building is a clear symbol of the country itself and how it transformed dramatically from the nostalgic early days of the 40s till the present day, shedding light on the price that the Egyptian society had to pay during that rough trip, and how the society has clear double standards that everyone is trying to ignore.

Every side story evolves in a different direction and involves controversial characters who are linked only by the same building (society) in someway or the other, the different stories are interweaves in an artistic way to dramatise different controversial issues and taboos from adultery, political corruption, homosexuality to Islamic fundamentalism.

The movie has a general sad feel around it especially for anyone who lived in Egypt as it touches on the deterioration and many negative issues that are becoming more and more the norm in most Egyptian society levels that was once a conservative and religious society. It is strong wakeup call to those who love their country to stop burying their heads in the sand when it comes to double standards that's affecting everyone in the society making everyone feel inferior to the country. The story will make you think deeply about how and why a country like Egypt could end up where it is today.

The cinematography, steady cams, crane camera movement is brilliant, the smooth cuts and soft transitions boosts the romantic dimension of the storyline. As expected, the music score by Khaled Hammad is expressive, romantic and adds a lot of depth to many scenes. The tempo of the movie is just right, giving enough time for actors to express their feelings through longer than usual shots that will never leave you bored. Action scenes are also very well done.

A must see piece of art for anyone who is living or used to live in Egypt.

"The Yaboubian Building" reminded me of those over-heated Spanish soap operas that air nightly on Telemundo. The sweep and size of the film (not to mention its length) may fool people into thinking it's a more important picture than it actually is, when really it's not much more than one big soapy melodrama that manages to stay mostly entertaining over the course of its three hours.

There's a lot going on in this film, and you may find you have your work cut for you just following the basics of the plot. I suspect much more of the film would have made sense to me had I known more about Egyptian culture. As it is, there are a lot of terms and situations in the film that probably didn't have their full desired effect. Of course, it's tough as an American, and therefore one used to experiencing art that throws critical darts at my country's beliefs and institutions, to fully understand how controversial this film (and the book on which it is based) has been in Egypt. By all accounts, the frank candour about corrupt government, homosexuality and the prostitution of Egyptian citizens (of all types and at all levels of society) have been greeted with quite an uproar in this film's country of origin. It's a noble effort on the part of the film-makers, and I can understand them wanting to pack in as much punch as they can, but the film tries to do too much, and the plot feels like several different agendas unsuccessfully unified into a coherent whole.

Much of "The Yacoubian Building" is no less ham-fisted than your typical Hollywood film, not the least of which are the scenes that explain outright the film's central metaphor (the Yacoubian building itself as a representation of Egyptian society). But much of it works quite well too, especially the acting, which is pretty good across the board, the crisp pacing and the driving musical score.

A big bold movie that bites off more than it can chew but provides a solid few hours of entertainment nonetheless.

Grade: B+

That's what I felt after watching that movie, it's really close to the society and the public's pulse, some overestimation is there but through comic frame, you'll enjoy watching that movie Marwan Hamed is not an ordinary director, he is one of the best around. i have never seen such a movie that tackles every issue in the Egyption society so honestly. it is a pure masterpiece and if i was running the Oscars then that movie will sure receive one. A movie so honest and directed, it is designed for all classes describing the social corruption in todays society - not only in Egypt but all around the world. if you miss this movie then you will spend your entire life regretting it so i advice every Arabic and non-Arabic speaker to watch the masterpiece and enjoy the art of this marvelous director whom i have a great respect for. two thumps up

I just saw "The Yacoubian Building" last night. Let me first say that it was an ambitious, well-acted film . Ultimately, though, despite the three hours running time, I walked away unsatisfied, defeated by the film's ambition. In an effort to bring all the problems facing Egypt to light, the filmmaker has stretched himself too thin. Each of the topics addressed: the plight of women, homosexuality, corruption, fundamentalism, etc., could easily have been its own full-length film. I was particularly concerned with the fundamentalism segment of the movie. The character and his motivations were too undeveloped to understand his convictions and his actions, and I feel that it is irresponsible to release such a superficial overview to the West. I am worried that this portrayal may help cement some Westerners' anti-Arab view (while I understand that the intention was completely opposite). Overall, as mentioned earlier, I thought that this has the potential to be a fabulous series of movies, but all thrown together, it leaves something to be desired.

This movie is no different from any other Oscar winning film. What I have witnessed is far beyond any Egyptian movie. This film has successfully captured all of the dysfunctional aspects of Egyptian society, squeezed taboos to the last drop, and left the audience laughing from the heart. I expected it to be good but not this good it's amazing go watch it, support decent movies for a change. 3 hours but couldn't keep my eyes off of it. I'm really hoping that this film wins an Oscar to show Egyptian film makers that hard work does pay off. Films like zay elhawa and elghawas should not be in theaters, unless products contain effort, the audience should not have to put up with it.

Yes indeed,i expected this movie to be better than this..it's a good movie but it's not supposed to be just good,it's supposed to be excellent because it's portraying a wonderful book and with a gorgeous huge cast. The book was better in relating characters and analyzing them,i know that the book has a better space to do that and that the movie had a limited time,although it was 3 hours long,but still the movie gave much on screen space to some stories that weren't that deep like Adel Emam's story and little time to more deep and important ones like terrorism in Mohamed Emam's story and Gayness in Khaled El Sawy's story. The casting and acting were very good except for Tamer Abd El Men'em who was very annoying and not fit for his role! Also Adel Emam was not that good although he finally played a role that fits his age. New people in the movie like Bassem Samra{i guess that's his name!} and Mohamed Emam were great,especially the first. Best acting was by Khaled El Sawy who played Hatem Rasheed,the gay journalist..he was perfect and deep unlike Youssif Sha'ban in "Hamam El Malatili",who was very naive and stupid!! i'd give Khaled El Sawy a 10/10. Also Is'ad Youniss,although her role was small,whenever she appeared on screen,she just entertained me. Khaled Saleh was gorgeous as usual as Kamal El Shaz.. i mean Kamal El "Fuly" lol The Montage was absolutely terrible! that's all i can say about it. I think it's a very good Egyptian movie that deals with the real Egyptian society and it must be seen. Finally,i applause for Ali Abo Shady for not cutting anything out of the movie.

I read the story of Yacoubian Building so I couldn't wait to watch it in the movie theater but I thought it will be like any other story. not as good as the book. I just loved this movie.. the Casting was so genius and every actor did his part in an amazing way. The Old Classic ones and the new generation. Even Mohamed Emam. this is his first movie and he was able to make me believe in him. This movie should be nominated for an Oscar. Even the soundtrack, the picture and the dialog just so good. this movie had me thinking all night about it and made me live it. this movie made me laugh, cry, bothered, It is a masterpiece. I just hope the movie industry in Egypt keeps on bringing those types of movies. those movies which remind us of the 70's movies where at least 2 or 3 big movies stars act together. Now I'm thinking to take the rest of my friends to it so i can be able to watch it second time. It is one of the best movies I've watched this year.

While the film is well-acted and shot, the story line just isn't much. It's pretty much a soap opera of different characters/story lines, whose common thread involves the decaying apartment building where they live.

The Yacoubian building is an apartment building which was built in Egypt's glory days; once ornate and modern, it has fallen into disrepair. Some wealthy families occupy the large apartments there, but impoverished residents live on the roof in what was formerly servants' quarters. There are 5 or more main characters whose lives are woven together as they do their best to cope with modern Egyptian life.

Yes, the decaying building is a symbol of Egypt's decay. And yes, the film is sociologically interesting as it portrays some of the afflictions facing Egypt today - fundamentalism, poverty, lack of housing, lack of opportunities for young people, etc.

But there are so many better films; this is decent, and watchable, but really nothing too special.

Aside from the technical issues of directing, the movie was a total failure, those who did not read the novel have seen nothing! Waheed hamed's lame adaptation ruined the whole spirit of the book, the lines are more of a "Nadia el gendy" or "nabeela edeid" film.

The whole scene is supposed to be set in the early 90s, yet nothing in the customs or the events can be of the 90s.

Special lines and scenes are added for Zaky el dessouki (Adel emam) only because he's a famous comedian and the audience would like him to throw a joke every now and then although it's totally unnecessary,Taha's (Mohamed emam) clothes are not of his social class in anyway!

The amazing spirit of neutrality that one can find in the novel has been brutally destroyed in the movie where you can take sides easily.

The soundtrack is nonsense, people in theatres were laughing most of the time specially in the Gay love scenes as the proper music for the moment is lost.

All I can think of is that those Old guys desperately tryed to seize the moment and have their share of the new Egyptian film industry cake that the young actors built over the past 8 years or so!

Guess i'm obviously biased , but that's how I see it.

What I like most about this movie is that it opens a window into an unknown world for me, that of relations between men an women in modern Egypt, and it does so in a style that is at the same time sumptuous an unfamiliar. People do things you wouldn't expect, despite the slightly heavy-handed handling of emotions. There are areas where the movie is not perfect: it is so highly pessimistic and denounces the greed and selfishness of Egyptian men with so much vigor that it appears somewhat simplistic. It does tend to ramble a bit. But the power and the humor of the movie (it is quite funny, despite being tragic) transcends all that and makes those minor faults. I understand the director is very young, so he will have ample time to overcome and transcend these youthful imperfections. I didn't like Slumdog Millionaire because it told me everything about India that I already knew: it feels like a package tour where you are shown the sites you expect to see, and are whisked from one location to another. For a western viewer, Omaret yakobean is like a journey where you land at the airport and are immediately carried away by the atmosphere, the culture shock, the bustling streets, the misunderstandings, from which you emerge with challenged assumptions and a wider view of the world.

man oh man. what a film; it will leave you dazzled and amazed upon it's beauty. Marwan Hamed is no ordinary director, he is one of the best around. i have never seen such a movie that tackles every issue in the Egyption society so honestly. it is a pure masterpiece and if i was running the Oscars then that movie will sure receive one. A movie so honest and directed, it is designed for all classes describing the social corruption in todays society - not only in Egypt but all around the world. if you miss this movie then you will spend your entire life regretting it so i advice every Arabic and non-Arabic speaker to watch the masterpiece and enjoy the art of this marvelous director whom i have a great respect for. two thumps up

This movie offers three stories that are not linked except by having some of their events taking place at the same building: Yacoubian Building (Emarat Yaqubyan). The small hints in one story that may refer to another one are so insignificant that you can take them out of script without any damage to any of the stories. The main story is about the rich playboy (Adel Emam) who is turning old. The second story is about the devout merchant (Noor el-Sharif) and his quest for more. The last small story is about the homosexual newspaper editor and his quest for a lover. Having so disconnected stories in one building might be a symbol for the way Cairan society is: so many disconnected lives living in one big city. And this applies for all of Egypt too.

Unsurprising about Adel Emam's movies, this one is full of sexual scenes and is extremely anti-religious with uncompromising tone. Decency is not welcome here and is not encouraged. It is pro-'mutual consent sex' but anti-'sexual exploitation': something that Emam has always featured in his movies against the norms of the Muslim traditions of Egypt and the Arab World. When discussing religion, the movie gives the extreme cases of terrorists and opportunists. No moderate Islam (or Christianity) is introduced although Egyptian and Arab societies are mostly moderate and honest.

I'm not surprised by being disappointed. Egyptian movie-making should stop being so liberal and turn to the truth of Egyptian society. I'm not Egyptian, but I know that Egyptians are fed up with negative stereotypes that are introduced in their local movies. Egyptians should not be blamed for attacking this movie and all other movies that don't mirror the facts of Egyptian society.

The story is great, the movie-making is nice, but the messages are bad. I would recommend seeing this movie, but don't take it seriously. It is not the whole truth, and many events are untrue (like allowing extremist Friday prayer and sermon in a major mosque under the currently effective Egyptian martial laws). It is just drama and not true life, but full of symbolism and some true things.

I did not read the book before watching the movie, nor did I not know what the movie is about, but I heard from several people and friends that it is the greatest Egyptian movie of all time. After watching the movie I was a bit disappointed, I thought the movie was good, but I expected more. Marwan Hamed (director) did a great job, since it is only his first movie, but the movie could have been directed much better than this. The movie talks about the 3 major taboos in the Egyptian literature: Politics, Sex and Religion, it's not the first movie to address these issues, but it's definitely the bravest... too brave to say the least. Since when did we talk about sex or homosexuality freely and with open mind? Since when did a man discuss how many times he sleeps with his wife with one another? The movie was showing too much carelessly and regardless of our typical Egyptian culture. The director concentrated too much on the sexual issues (especially homosexuality), yet religion and politics ware not given their fair piece of the cake.

I would recommend you watch the movie, it is still a good movie, although you might have a different view.

The modern day Egypt is the main character of this epic. It seems to be a tumultuous place never sure if it wants to be in the West or East. The director of this interesting movie tackles quite a few controversial topics. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism, homosexuality, the poor treatment of women in contemporary Egyptian society, the rampant corruption, still powerful strict class system. Enough topics for a dozen movies, but the director somehow manages to pull it all together. Some of the story lines feel a bit rushed to its conclusion, but all in all an interesting glimpse at modern Arab world. Its people are like any other, scared and imperfect and a bit lost in the complexities of life.

Arab Spring drew attention to Egypt's autocratic government under Hosni Mubarak. Therefore, Marwan Hamed's "Omaret Yakobean" ("The Yacoubian Building" in English) turns out to be even more important. The movie depicts 21st-century Egyptian society as morally bankrupt, while also looking at topics that are usually taboo in Muslim societies (e.g., homosexuality).

I view the movie as sort of an Egyptian version of movies like "Amores Perros" and "Y Tu Mamá También", both of which show the degeneracy of Mexican society by looking at the different aspects of society. Here we see just about every problem that infects Egyptian society. Although the movie is a scathing indictment of what the most populous Arab country had become under Mubarak, it poses the question of whether this is a matter of governance or something else. We saw how the corruption and autocracy continued under Mohamed Morsi, and has gone supernova since the military coup led by Fatah al-Sisi. Indeed, the nationalist and independence movements often betrayed their own ideals, as political parties either became entrenched like in Algeria, or strongmen took over, like Idi Amin in Uganda. Is it doomed to always be like this?!

All in all, a very good movie.

This movie has definitely changed the map of the Egyptian movie making industry.Meaning, future makings should at least level up to half of what Marwan Hamed the promising director has produced. I will not repeat words like "Masterpiece" or " an Oscar winning Movie", but I fear that Marwan has produced a piece of work that should make him produce more of the same level. And that is the real challenge.

I also feel that this daring story has opened the way or paved it for more creativity without the need to worry about censorship or limiting expressions. I am so happy to have seen so many taboos on the screen in order for the people to discuss and find solutions. Therefore, to share the problems of the Egyptians with the public through movies is also another challenge that the movie industry has to work on.

I hope we see other competing directors who will force the audience to be totally engrossed in whatever they are watching.

Eman Al Masri

I saw this one yesterday at the Stockholm Filmfestival.

Nice try, but I didn't connect to any of the characters in this movie. They tried to make stories of different life-situations all connected to the same building. Some of these stories might have been interesting if done differently but they were actually just kind of boring. They tried to make some of the characters sympathetical but they weren't perceived as such, at least not by me. Some points in the movie were over exaggerated and some were not explained at all. one of the few movies I've seen that I actually didn't care at all how it ended. and that's not a very good sign... no, nice try but this one is a stinker.

/B

Make Sure that "The Yaboubian Building" is one of the best 10 movies of the Egyptian movies 2000-2010 era.

The movie ( based on bestselling novel by Alaa Al Aswany ) discuss many Issues and taboos in the Egyptian literature especially in that period like prostitution ,Homo Sex , corruption and Religion.

Marwan Hamed for his first movie to direct did a great job. Adel Emam (Zaki el Dessouky) gives amazing performance .