Cairo Time

When magazine writer Juliette Grant (Patricia Clarkson) arrives in Cairo to join her husband Mark (Tom McCamus), a UN refugee camp organizer, she's met at the airport by his former security officer and colleague Tareq (Alexander Siddig), who tells Juliette that Mark has been unavoidably detained in Gaza and graciously escorts her through the crowded streets and sweltering heat to her hotel. As days pass, curious Juliette ventures out to explore this ancient, mysterious city where blue-eyed, blond-haired, solitary women are a curiosity. However, feeling intimidated, embarrassed, and uncomfortable with the unwanted male attention she attracts, Juliette asks Tareq—a courtly, sophisticated Muslim Arab—to show her the sights, leading to the slow development of an intoxicating, unexpected relationship, as the pair shop, smoke water pipes, sail down the Nile, play chess, attend a traditional wedding in Alexandria, and explore the pyramids at Giza. Writer-director Ruba Nadda's Cairo Time is a leisurely-paced performance piece that is occasionally too subtle and restrained. Optional. (S. Granger)