The first Egyptian movie to premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in 12 years, “Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo”, directed by Khaled Mansour, is a refreshing narrative that simply focuses on a man and his dog. The feature-length directorial debut of Khaled Mansour has been received extremely well by Egyptian audiences in the two weeks since its release.
The entire film’s story is led by the incredible performance of Essam Omar as the main character, Hassan. He is a very passive person who rescued Rambo, a street dog, and took him in, and their relationship is undeniably Hassan’s most important aspect in his life; as well as their bond being the plot for the film. Hassan goes through drastic character development through the tight 105-minute runtime. Like most characters, Hassan doesn’t go through this development by his own will, he has to adapt to the situations that are happening to him: but at the end of the film, he takes control of the narrative and his decision proves how much he’s grown. The film only has a few characters, but every character has an impact on screen. They don’t necessarily propel the story forward (as supporting characters usually do), but instead every single character gives us an insight into Hassan’s character, making his stages of development that much more impactful to the casual viewer. The cinematography is stunning, the film is shot in a smaller aspect ratio than most films, allowing the director to perfectly curate every single factor in the shot: and the result is unforgettable. Most of the scenes are long, with a static camera, allowing you to give your complete attention to the characters and having the performances really seep into you. The film has a unique color palette, with many scenes having unnatural lighting colors but it never takes you out of the movie, it’s as if as you’re witnessing the moment happen right in front of you: raw and real. Since it is a character-driven narrative, the plot is somewhat slow-paced, but the visuals and the constant changing of locations just highlights everything the director wants to portray.
In my opinion, this movie is a breath of fresh air in the current state of movies that are released in cinemas, and it would be a shame for people to miss out on the experience. The film personally is not ground-breaking, but it is great; and hopefully inspires a new wave of innovative and soulful stories produced by Egypt. It’s also good noting this is the director’s first film, and it was able to premiere at a highly acclaimed film festival, emphasizing that nothing is too out-of-reach and new voices have the opportunity to be heard every day.
Written by Salma El Ashmawy (17 years) – 15/1/2025