Nermin Yusr
Ezzat Hilal, played by Yehia El-Fakharany, a well-known writer and journalist, leaves his office at the newspaper and takes the bus from Ramses Square. As he boards the bus, he notices that one of the tires has exploded amid traffic jams and chaos. Instead of waiting for the driver to fix the tire, Ezzat decides to help an elderly lady cross the road so she can catch the train to the regions. Later, he asks a buffet worker about the destination of one of the trains, to which the buffet worker replies that it is heading to Alexandria. He takes the train, although he does not have a ticket or has pre-booked a seat. All he wants is to escape from the city center hustle.
Chance plays a significant role in the script of the renowned writer Wahid Hamed in the film “You, I, and Hours of Travel.” In the film, Ezzat encounters Mrs. Salwa Abdeen, played by Nelly, a stunning young woman who is married to an older wealthy businessman. Salwa had purchased two tickets, leaving the seat next to her empty for added privacy. However, she allows Ezzat to take the seat next to her, leading to hours of unforgettable memories. Even after 11 years of separation, they still remember their passionate but failed love story facing the challenges of life and the hardships of existence. The philosophical film takes a bitter look at defeated dreams in the face of capitalism. In the story, a girl sacrifices her life’s love and marries to rescue her family from poverty and hardship.
It seems like an ordinary story that we have seen hundreds of times, not only on the Egyptian cinema screen but also on screens around the world, in different languages. However, stories can be similar yet differ in how they are addressed and presented to captivate the audience. Hamed, in this case, relied heavily on dialogue, as the action has disappeared, leaving a vast space for dialogue between the two parties: Salwa, who defended herself, and Ezzat, who is determined that she gave in to the circumstances. Ezzat said: “They may force you to get married, but there is no power that can force you to love.”
And when she asked him: “Do you think love dies?” He answered: “Love is like a living being that can become sick, disabled, and old, but it does not die. However, it can be broken or killed.” Wahid Hamed embodied Ezzat’s last sentence, conveyed through several scenes that illustrate what he meant. The scenes shed light on a young couple in the prime of their relationship, both appearing completely happy. On the other hand, we witness another couple, played by Leila Fahmi and Nabil Badr, quarreling over trivial reasons, despite their willingness to attend a relative’s wedding in Alexandria. Hamed emphasizes the metaphor in this perception of the journey of life and the stages of love’s age brilliantly.
On the first of July, we commemorate the birth of the great writer Wahid Hamed, who was born in July 1944 and passed away in January 2021.