“Clash”
Hope Salloum
5/23/16
Clash was a film like no other. The
message, the acting, and the plot were all simply brilliant. Clash tells a story that not many people
experience first hand. The clash between The Muslim Brotherhood and those
opposed is a very real issue that is exceptionally demonstrated in this film.
One aspect
of this film that makes it such a watchable film is the way that the director
works with such a tiny space. Most, if not all, the scenes take place inside
the back of a prisoner bus. The space to work with was incredibly small,
however that was never an obstacle for this film. The small space, if anything,
contributed to telling the story in such an impacting way. The creative uses of
each corner and wall of this bus is what truly made this film remarkable. The
space, when needed, felt like an entire world in which all of these characters
had to live in. In many ways, it was its own world. Not many films know how to
properly use one set for each of its plot goals, and that is what makes this
one as fantastic as it is. Filming in one space not only exaggerated the
differences between the two groups, but also showed the similarities throughout
all of humanity in general.
Several
times throughout the film, the opposing sides would have to work with each
other in one way or another. Clash is
one of the rare films that fully and accurately portrays a culture exactly how
it is, and how it is perceived by other cultures. All of the character’s
contributed purposefully to the plot and themes of this film. Each character
was a part of the bigger picture going on in the real world. One particular
moment in the film that stood out to me was when the woman in the Muslim
Brotherhood needed to use the restroom. Everyone in the bus, regardless of
which side they were on, respected this woman in the sense than any Egyptian
would. The authenticity and accuracy of how they treated women was shocking and
simultaneously very pleasing. This theme played on with the other woman in the
van and the children. Accurately portraying how a culture treats their own
people adds to watch-ability and entertainment of this film. As an Arab
watching this film, I did not expect the entire film to be so real and
relatable. The fact that is was drew me in more to the plot and reasoning
behind the making of this film. It raised my curiosity and interest incredibly.
This film
had the unique factor of many characters being introduced at once. The film
seamlessly introduces each character or group of characters into the van. This
helps the audience get introduced to everyone individually. Each character was
distinguishable by their position, even though you see many different
characters constantly during the film. This is why Clash is so well done. Constantly, there are fights and people
yelling and running around, but it is still easy to understand each person’s
position.
An
interesting element in the film is when the characters starting being civilized
with one another. This made it slightly harder to remember who was on what
side. But just as any great film does, soon this theme was brought up again and
tied into the ending. In the end, when the van pulled into the crowd, no one in
the bus could tell which group the crowd was a part of. Back and forth everyone
was in a hurry to figure it out, but it became too chaotic all at once. This
leads to the van being attacked by the mob. The message demonstrated is so
powerful and scarily true. In chaos, you can’t tell your brother from your
enemy. The last shot pans over to an unfinished tic-tac-toe game between the
two children in the van. This also leaves a message as well. The game was not
finished, and neither is the fight between the two opposing sides.
The film Clash had incredibly deep themes,
spectacular acting, and shockingly accurate cultural aspects. This film is
extremely entertaining and will keep an audience constantly at the edge of
their seats. Clash is one of those
films that shouldn’t be missed.
Writer: Khaled Diab, Mohamed Diab
Director:
Mohamed Diab
Producer:
Mohamed Hefzy, Eric Lagesse, and Moez Masoud
Main
Cast: Hani Adel,
Nelly Karim,
Tarek Abdel
Aziz, Ahmed Malek, Ahmed Dash, El Sebaii Mohamed
Running time: 97 minutes
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