Sunday, May 22, 2016

"Clash" Movie Review

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.

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

No comments:

Post a Comment