A scene from After The Battle.
Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah's drama about Egypt struggling to build a new society ingeniously mixes staged drama and real footage from last year's protests in Tahrir Square. It tells the story of an idealistic modern woman who tries to help a marginalized man from the village of Nazlet el-Samman near the pyramids. One of the riders sent by the government to attack the protesters, he's now socially isolated and impoverished. The worthy theme is that the revolution has exposed the deep rifts of class and ethnicity in Egyptian society and the hard work is ahead, though the effectiveness of the message is undermined by a melodramatic plot and overwrought acting.
At VIFF: Oct. 3, 6:05 p.m., Granville 3; Oct. 8, 2:45 p.m., Granville 3; Oct. 10, 6 p.m., Granville 3
At TIFF: Sept. 14, 12:30 p.m., TIFF Bell Lightbox