While one episode certainly isn’t enough, this one deserves to be the key to a perfect premiere.
Director Tamer Mohsen dramatically blended character development, suspense with a fast pace. He did so with an eye that possesses a keen awareness alongside attractive visuals, and above all, an exceptional ability to cast roles that can challenge the actors to bring out all that lies within them.
That was how I felt after watching the first episode of “Qlbi W Moftaho” (My Heart and Its Key).
Mohsen’s output is limited, but he always returns to the small screen with brilliance.
His professional record includes “Bedoon Zikr Asma” (Without Mentioning Names), “Taht Al Saytara” (Under Control), “Leabet Newton (Newton’s Cradle), and “Fakret al-Saher” (The Magician’s Segment). Mohsen is known for his collaborative writing approach on his shows, as seen in this latest series where he worked alongside Maha al-Wazir.
With a breathless pace, we are introduced to our protagonists.
At first glance, you might notice the standard plot of searching for a ‘muhallil’ (legalizer), which we’ve seen in dozens of dramas, starring icons like Anwar Wagdi and Adel Imam.
A comedic framework usually suits this premise, and you expect a happy ending: the roguish man is clung to by the wealthy woman, and she ultimately refuses to return to her powerful billionaire ex-husband, after the legal obstacle is removed.
The ‘muhallil’ is hired to serve as a legal cover for the couple’s return after being divorced three times.
However, this is merely the general plot, and as is clear, we will see many details that takes us to different places.
The introduction of the Uber driver character, masterfully played by Asser Yassin, provides us with a cultured university graduate who found a profession that can support him financially.
It also opens the door to the inevitably wide range of characters that out protagonist encounters, thereby contributing to the overall characterization of the show
On the other hand, as viewers, we get to know the other side of the conflict.
Mai Ezz Eddin portrays a divorced mother, while her ex-husband, played by Diab, is a volatile and quick-tempered man who isn’t afraid to physically express his endless rage. He is also a wealthy businessman with followers eager to carry out his orders.
I feel some of the more violent scenes where Diab brutally beats a helpless worker changing his ex-wife’s apartment lock could have been shortened.
The challenge the writer usually faces is keeping the viewer in suspense for what’s to come. The information revealed about the character only tells part of the story, leaving us with room for surprise and wonder in what’s next.
I see Mai Ezz Eddin in a role befitting her credentials.
Mai was a successful television actress about ten years ago, entrusted with leading roles as a central character. Production values have changed, and Mai now has to accept more shared leading roles. She was smart not to dwell too much on the changes in the artistic landscape.
It doesn’t matter that the plot is straightforward and you, as a viewer, have seen it before. But as is clear in the first episode, we are facing a structure of 15 episodes.
There will still be additions through the characters Asser meets, giving legitimacy to the dramatic additions.
Thus, and cleverly, in the first episode, he expressed a woman’s feelings. Mays Hamdan suffers medically from sexual repression, without putting himself under the scrutiny of censorship or social taboos.
I believe the message was conveyed with a hint in the look and the dialogue that only says a glimpse of what is to come.
This show also marks a brilliant return for Ashraf Abdel Baqi to drama in a serious role that sparks with creativity, with 14 episodes still left.
In this age of massive competition for big stars and the increasing advertising blitz towards noisy series here and there, I’ve found here an artistic work that carries a whisper and a modern vision, so let’s wait and see what’s next!
Author’s biography:
Tarek al-Shenawy is a journalist, film critic, and professor of film criticism at the Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Mass Communication in Cairo University, and a Bachelor’s degree from the Institute of Cinema.
Shenawy has won numerous awards for best critical article from the Syndicate of Journalists multiple times, as well as from film societies. He was awarded the title of Best Popular Film Critic by the “Der Giest” Association in 2015 – a title that has not been awarded to anyone since.
He has also chaired and participated in the judging committees of numerous international film festivals, including the Valencia and Dubai Film Festivals.
He began practicing film criticism nearly 35 years ago in the Rose al-Yousse magazine and continues to write a weekly column titled “Kalma we Nos” (Word and a Half) on its pages. He has written for numerous magazines, newspapers, and websites both inside and outside Egypt.
He currently writes a daily column in Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper and a weekly column in Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, and has published over thirty books.
