AFS Essential Cinema: Cairo Station

Though Middle Eastern affairs have dominated the news agenda for years, Westerners remain sadly uneducated when it comes to the culture—filmic and otherwise—of our fellow world citizens. Helping to correct this situation is the current Austin Film Society's Essential Cinema series. Children of Abraham/Ibrahim 4: Films of The Middle East and Beyond stretches from now until Feb. 16 and will showcase six fascinating films that attempt to shed some light on a way of living and being that we should all be open to examining more carefully.

Kicking off this fourth annual series is Cairo Station, a film so bold and boundary-crossing that it was banned in Egypt for several years following its 1958 premiere. Directed by (and starring) Youssef Chahine, Cairo Station tells the tale of a tense love triangle involving a train porter, his sexy lemonade-selling wife and a handicapped newspaper vendor. Against the backdrop of a bustling Cairo train station—meant to serve as a microcosm of the tumultuous city itself—this sounds like fodder enough for an enthralling viewing experience, but there also happens to be a murderer on the loose, and apparently a rock ‘n’ roll musical number can be anticipated as well.

Deemed inappropriate by clerics of the time for its erotic undertones and dark social themes, Cairo Station has only recently been given the widespread attention it deserves. Exotic, noirish and innovative, this Egyptian piece of cinema sounds essential indeed. Buy tickets here (they're free for AFS members) and stay tuned; more Middle Eastern gems will be surfacing soon.