Sorry to Disturb
| Sorry to Disturb | |
|---|---|
| آسف على الإزعاج (in Arabic) | |
| Directed by | Khaled Marei |
| Written by | Ayman Bahgat Kamar |
| Produced by | Walid Sabri |
| Starring | Ahmed Helmi Menna Shalabi Mahmoud Hamida Dalal Abdel Aziz |
| Cinematography | Ahmad Yusuf |
| Music by | Amr Ismail |
Production company | Brothers United for Cinema |
| Distributed by | Brothers United for Cinema |
Release date |
|
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | Egypt |
| Language | Arabic |
| Box office | E£15 million |
Sorry to Disturb (Arabic: اسف على الإزعاج, romanized: ʾāsifun ʿalā l-ʾizʿāji) is a 2008 Egyptian drama film directed by Khaled Marei. It stars Ahmed Helmi.
Plot
Hasan Salah El-Din is a young aeronautical engineer who feels lonely, out of place, and depressed. However, he believes that his work is critical for national security and could save the Egyptian government millions of dollars. Repeated letters to Hosni Mubarak alleging he is being persecuted by all because of his intellect have gone unanswered.
He is a workaholic who refuses to take any vacations, and is reprimanded by his boss for doing so. Due to a violation of his boss's order to take time off, he is suspended.
El-Din purchases a motorcycle, against his mother's wishes, despite him not knowing how to ride it. He occasionally rides with his father.
One day he meets a beautiful girl at a café (Menna Shalabi), and claims to be a friend of a man who had scammed her and was dispatched by him to return his money to her. He uses this ploy to continue setting up subsequent meetings with the woman and eventually they fall in love.
Later, his life is turned upside down, as he learns that he has schizophrenia, and that he has been having visual hallucinations of his late father and the girlfriend.[1] Furthermore, the motorcycle did not exist; the money was spent on a new MacBook which El-Din placed in a closet never to be used.
With his mother's help, he receives medication and therapy to cure his mental illness. He returns to work. Sitting in a café one day he finds that the girlfriend he hallucinated was indeed a real person and goes to speak with her. They become a couple.
Reception
Sorry to Disturb was one of the two highest-grossing films in Egypt of 2008, earning over E£15 million.[2] The film won first prize at the Egyptian National film festival[3] and won the Dear Guest magazine award for best movie of 2008.[4] Helmi won the Egyptian Catholic Center Cinema Festival award for Best Actor for the third year running,[5] and the film won Best Film, Best Director, Best Script, and Best Production.[6]
The soundtrack includes "Don't Speak" by No Doubt and "Buddha Bar" by Wally Brill.
References
- ^ Fahim, Joseph (25 July 2008). "THE REEL ESTATE: Helmy's best performance to date is not laughing matter". Daily News (Egypt). Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ Abdoun, Safaa (31 July 2008). "Egyptian films suffer during short summer season". Daily News (Egypt). Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ فيلم اسف على الإزعاج يقتنص الجائزة الأولى. Panet (in Arabic). 3 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ "DG Festival". Dear Guest magazine. March–April 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ MOHAMED OMAR / EPA (28 February 2009). "Egyptian actor Ahmed Helmy poses with his award for best actor". Picturedesk. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ "Pack of cards". Al-Ahram Weekly. 5–11 March 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
External links
- Sorry to Disturb at IMDb
- Gomaa, Mahmoud (6 August 2008). ""Sorry for the Disturbance" review". Al Jazeera (in Arabic). Retrieved 2009-07-07.