Juliette (Patricia Clarkson) has two grown children that both left home. Her husband Mark (Tom McCamus) is working for the UN and they haven’t seen each other for a while. So while he is working in Gaza, Juliette flies to Cairo. The idea is to meet in Cairo is soon as Mark is done with his work. In the meantime, Mark has asked his old friend Tareq (Alexander Siddig) to take care of Juliette until he arrives.

Tareq used to work for UN with Mark and he is now retired, running a typical café in the city. While her first days are a little bit boring for Juliette (well, she gets bored most of the time when she’s not around Tareq, she realizes that the person she can get along with them most is Tareq. They both know a little about the other one’s culture and they are both intrigued and amused by it at the same time. Their relationship is a very sincere and naturally-progressing friendship. It is not long before they realize they have feelings for each other. But it is one thing being attracted to another person and it is another to act on it…After all, Juliette loves Mark and Tareq respects his friend…

This movie gives a lovely opportunity to explore Cairo- with its streets and cafes, restaurants and pyramids, the crowds and the dessert…It is a beautiful city. Watching this movie is incredibly serene and comforting experience. It might be the subtleness of the acting, the use of music and the setting or  the combination of all these, but I felt like I meditated afterwards. Yeah, this is a good thing.

While Tareq and Juliette got to know one another, walking through Cairo,I was reminded of Before Sunrise starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, and of course the lovely sequel Before Sunset. Of course in many ways, these movies are very different. In Before Sunrise, the characters are both young and single.  And there is also the fact that Celine and Jesse didn’t have time to be friends. They just had 24 hours together. Here, in Cairo Time, we do get a beautiful love story but the love here includes and starts from friendship. There is a bond and it is even stronger than the chemistry and attraction.

Now, obviously the movie is not everybody. The pace is really slow. Now, the pace works perfectly for the film but it might not be your thing to watch mainly two characters hang out. And if you are expecting explicit sex scenes (or sex scenes of any nature), you will be disappointed. This is not The English Patient. In fact, I’d say that this movie is safe even for a three-year-old. But with all the action and the nudity the movie world loves so much these days, it is nice to get something that is deep and has such an innocent level to it. I love my action and fast movies. But this movie is a very nice, escapist from all that. I am just warning you about what to expect and what not to.

Both Alexander Siddig and Patricia Clarkson are lovely together. And while Mark is essential to the story, he doesn’t have much screen time. But after hearing all about Mark throughout the movie, I think it is safe to say Tom McCamus fits the “hype”.

There is a big chance some things are exaggerated. So what? Relax and enjoy the experience. Written and directed by Ruba Nada. 8/10.