The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

This week has a lot to offer; thriller, romance, and animation are all on the menu. So, without further ado, here are the three releases that have been shacking the ground with their plot lines, and generating a lot of buzz.

Five Feet Apart

What’s it about? Stella (Haley Lu Richardson) is a teenage cystic fibrosis patient confined to a hospital ward. When new patient Will (Cole Sprouse) is admitted for a trial treatment, the pair fall in love, but due to the nature of their diseases, both are forbidden from touching one another.

The good: Five Feet Apart is a well-acted young adult romance, and the premise seems interesting.

The bad: It seems like the film is a mixture of movies like The Fault in Our Stars (2014); Everything, Everything (2017), and A Walk to Remember (2002). 

Dumbo

What’s it about? Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists former star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But, when they discover that Dumbo can fly, the circus makes an incredible comeback.

The good: Tim Burton (director) has made a familiar story seem new. Moreover, Dumbo has a lot to say about human nature and how we should treat, not only defenceless animals, but each other.

The bad: The story is significantly changed from the original. The less you know about the original Dumbo, the more you might like this movie.

Arctic

What’s it about? A man (Mads Mikkelsen), stranded in the Arctic after an aeroplane crash, must decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown in hopes of making it out alive.

The good: The simplicity of the film is commendable.

The bad: Though the journey is well executed and the tension sustained, the obstacles are so familiar to the genre – inclement weather, tricky rock formations, grumpy bears – they can feel ordinary.

To find out where and when you can catch these films, check out the Cairo 360 Cinema Guide.