Nawara Salem (Menna Shalabi) is a young woman living with her grandmother, Towha (Ragaa Hussein), in a cramped ground-floor room with a shared bathroom in an impoverished neighborhood lacking running water, where streets are too narrow for cars and even tuk-tuks can barely pass. Her grandmother fries and sells falafel from her room's window, dreaming of clean water and fearing she might die without enough water to wash her body for burial. The grandmother joins rotating savings clubs to pay neighborhood district officials to extend water pipes to their informal settlement; however, the "honorable" officials extort the residents, claiming prices have risen for everything. Nawara fetches water daily from a public tap. She has been married for five years in name only, unable to consummate the marriage for lack of an apartment, to a Nubian young man, Ali Youssef (Amir Salah), who works in his ailing father's shop repairing electrical appliances. His father, Hajj Youssef (Mohamed Ramadan), needs prostate surgery at a public hospital, but due to a shortage of beds, head nurse Mo'mena (Shaimaa Saif) places him on a waiting list after taking a bribe. To guarantee him a quick bed, she parks him in a restroom, though Ali manages to move his father to a hallway. Despairing of securing a bed, Ali transfers his father to a private hospital, which demands 10,000 pounds, forcing Ali to put the shop up for sale. Ali's mother opposes his marriage to Nawara because she is not Nubian, so Nawara refuses to live at her mother-in-law's or at her grandmother Towha's house. Nawara works as a maid for the family of former minister, businessman, and member of parliament Osama Kamel (Mahmoud Hemeida), his wife Shahinda (Shirin Reda), daughter Khadija (Rahma Hassan), and young son Eyad (Ahmed Magdy), in a luxurious villa with a garden and swimming pool in a modern gated compound featuring wide streets, private security guards, and expensive guard dogs. The family trusts Nawara because her late mother previously worked for them. Nawara commutes to work across multiple legs of transit, beginning with crowded public buses and microbuses, and ending with the luxury microbus designated for compound workers. The story unfolds during the outbreak of the January 2011 revolution, as protesters demand bread, freedom, and social justice, calling for the fall of Mubarak's exploitative regime and preventing the hereditary succession of power to his son Gamal. Revolutionaries circulate word that funds smuggled abroad by the regime will be recovered and distributed to the people—giving each citizen 200,000 pounds—to rally popular support and swell the ranks of sit-ins in Tahrir Square. Consequently, son Eyad flees to London and urges his parents to follow with their wealth. The mother welcomes escaping, while the father and daughter resist, believing it is merely a passing fad. Daughter Khadija is barred from leaving the villa for fear of protesters, spending her time swimming in the pool and bonding with her dog, Butch, who had always been hostile toward Nawara. Following Mubarak's stepping down and his arrest along with his sons, Osama agrees to flee to London with his wife and daughter. Shahinda entrusts the villa to Nawara, handing over all its keys and asking her to live there without telling anyone it is vacant. The villa is guarded by Uncle Abdullah (Ahmed Rateb), the gardener and gatekeeper, assisted by the dog Butch. Initially terrified of each other, Nawara and Butch gradually become friends; she feeds him boiled chicken and sautéed vegetables. Meanwhile, Ali objects to his wife staying at the villa, but Nawara urges patience, refusing to betray trust and fiercely protecting the property. She refuses to consummate the marriage in her room inside the villa or let Ali touch any of its contents; when he steals an expensive watch, she persuades him to return it. Nawara phones Shahinda to ask for a loan of 10,000 pounds for her father-in-law's medical treatment. When her request is turned down, Nawara mentions that her husband objects to her staying at the villa. Shahinda then directs her to 20,000 pounds hidden in the villa, gifting it to her to pass on to Ali as a wedding present, ensuring his silence and Nawara's overnight stay. Nawara dreams of treating her father-in-law, sending her grandmother on the Hajj pilgrimage, bringing running water to her neighborhood, and finding a marital home. Suddenly, Hassan (Abbas Abu El-Hassan), the villa owner's brother, arrives with their father, Kamel (Galal Abdel Kader), looking for Osama and his wife. Nawara refuses to reveal their whereabouts, but after a brutal beating, she is forced to tell. Hassan had been Osama's right-hand man in illicit dealings, influence peddling, and illicit gains, and now Osama has fled, abandoning Hassan to his fate. Hearing Nawara's cries, Butch rushes to her rescue and attacks Hassan, who flees in his car; when the dog pursues him, Hassan shoots and kills Butch. With Uncle Abdullah's help, Nawara buries the dog. Ali arrives, and Nawara tells him about Shahinda's gift, but he refuses to touch the money, insisting it belongs to her, and Nawara yields to her husband. An arrest warrant is issued for Osama and the villa is seized on corruption charges. The prosecutor discovers the cash in Nawara's possession, accuses her of theft, and arrests her. It becomes clear that while the regime is corrupt, the common people are the ones accused: the former minister steals, yet Nawara is the one arrested. The revolution did not fulfill the dreams of the poor; instead, it only deepened the injustice against them following Nawara's arrest. (Nawara)
Tuesday, 10 November 2026
