Ayn Aqly
| Ayn Aqly | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Atef Salem |
| Produced by | Abbas Helmy |
| Written by |
|
| Starring | |
| Music by | Omar Khorshid |
| Cinematography | Abdelhalim Nasr |
| Edited by | Fikri Rostam |
Production company | Al-Ittihad Films |
Release date |
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| Country | Egypt |
| Language | Arabic |
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Ayn Aqly (Arabic: أين عقلي, lit. “Where Is My Mind”) is an Egyptian film released in 1974. The film is directed by Atef Salem, features a screenplay by Raafat el-Mihi based on the novel حالة الدكتور حسن (“The Case of Dr. Hassan”) by Ihsan Abdel Quddous, and stars Soad Hosny, Mahmoud Yassin and Rushdy Abaza. The film's protagonist is a woman named Aida, who suffers under the abuse of her gaslighting husband Tawfiq. She frequently consults with a psychiatrist, Dr. Zuhdi, revealing to him that her former lover Sherif, felled by an accident, was her paramour prior to the marriage. She volunteers to Dr. Zuhdi that Tawfiq suffers from temporary paralysis after trips to Alexandria with his driver. The driver, Saber, reveals to Dr. Zuhdi that Tawfiq is trying to seduce lottery ticket girls. Dr. Zuhdi successfully counsels the couple on problems he concludes stem from Tawfiq's exposure to European customs during his studies abroad.
Cast
- Soad Hosny (Aida)
- Mahmoud Yassin (Tawfiq)
- Rushdy Abaza (Dr. Zuhdi)
- Emad Hamdy
- Saeed Saleh
- Mostafa Fahmi
- Nabila El Sayed
- Hayat Kandel (lottery ticket seller)
- Sayed Zayan (Saber, the driver)
- Hassan al-Yamani (doctor's secretary)
- Iman Nassar
Synopsis
Dr. Tawfiq (Mahmoud Yassin) is captive to the marital tradition of virgin honor despite picking up habits from his time studying in Europe. His liberal mind cannot reconcile with his native environment. After returning from Europe, he marries Aida (Soad Hosny) who confides in him that she lost her virginity in a torrid love affair with her deceased ex-fiancé. Though an educated liberal man, he tells her he does not want to know anything about her past and does not care anyway. However, he suffers a psychological crisis upon discovering she had been with someone else.
When Aida notices his disturbances, he blames her and she encounters her own mental health symptoms, leading her to consult a psychiatrist, Dr. Zuhdi (Rushdy Abaza). In flashbacks, Aida simultaneously renders to her counselor and the audience alike her life prior to marrying Dr. Tawfiq, including the ex and the husband's gaslighting. Dr. Zuhdi is convinced by her arguments and asks her to help him investigate the husband to understand the situation better. She points him to their chauffeur, Saber Sayed Zayan, who tells Dr. Zuhdi that Dr. Tawfiq propositions lottery sellers. On Dr. Zuhdi's request, Saber brings in a lottery ticket saleswoman (Hayat Kandel), who tells of Dr. Tawfiq inviting her home to protect her then becoming angry at her “loss of honor” (to him of course) like that of his wife. Convinced of the pattern, Dr. Zuhdi discovers an explanation in the culture shock between Dr. Tawfiq's early village life and his European city years. Dr. Tawfiq receives marital counseling and leaves the contradictions behind.
Reception
Ayn Aqly is one of the most prominent and daring films to deal with female virginity taboos in Arab culture. As an ancient facet of Arab and Islamic culture, it is still a sensitive subject around the region. The matrimony both in the house and the therapy sessions is the focus here, and no scenes depict anything save for Aida's therapy flashbacks.
Director Atef Salem strove to cover the topic carefully with careful study of psychology and psychoanalysis. He also secured career highlights for the principal actors, especially Mahmoud Yassin and Soad Hosny.
External links
References
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