Film Yomeddine: A Journey through the Wounds of Leper Colonies

 Abdel Karim Qadri - Algeria

When I finished watching the 2018 Egyptian film Yomeddine, directed by Abu Bakr Shawky at the second edition of the El Gouna Film Festival held from September 20-28, 2018, I felt no urge to speak that night. It wasn’t because I lacked words but because I wanted to give the film the reverence, sorrow, and contemplation it deserved. Yomeddine exemplifies cinema that captures the viewer’s senses, cinema that leaves a mark, cinema that effectively promotes its cause. The director’s cause in this film was to shed light on the plight of leprosy patients — people abandoned by family, neighborhood, city, state, and even the world because, in the eyes of others, they had become an unsightly stain on life’s joy. Their appearance serves as a reminder of the pain lurking within this polluted, unjust world. This film evokes a whirlwind of emotions — at times, we pity these outcasts of society, and at other times, we pity ourselves for allowing such injustices to unfold before us without taking action. This dual feeling lingers throughout the 97 minutes of the film, ultimately assuring us that Egyptian cinema still possesses a powerful voice. Indeed, there remain directors who bring such diverse and deeply meaningful stories to the screen.

Abu Bakr Shawky

Stories Unfold and Grow Along the Way

The story of Yomeddine centers around Bashay (portrayed by Rady Gamal), a resident of a leprosy colony. Although he recovered from the disease, its marks remained on him. Bashay lives with others who share a similar fate in a colony isolated from urban areas. Over time, he has built a life for himself by collecting and sorting waste to sell for recycling. Following his wife’s death, her estranged daughter arrives, revealing that she had never visited her mother before and seeking forgiveness for her past actions. This spurs Bashay to leave the colony and embark on a journey to Qena Province in search of the family that left him in this desolate place. He is accompanied by a young Nubian orphan, "Obama" (played by Ahmed Abdel Hafiz), traveling on a donkey-drawn cart named Harby.

Global cinema has seen many films set on the road, such as Ridley Scott’s Thelma and Louise (1991), which won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and the Italian classic La Strada (1954) by Federico Fellini, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Many such films use the road to convey meaning and structure the story, with Yomeddine joining this cinematic tradition, as Shawky uses the road as a tool to narrate and advance the plot.

A Seen From The Film

In his feature-length debut, Shawky introduces us to the main characters, showcases how society treats those affected by leprosy, and delves deeply into Bashay’s personality, revealing his self-view, his perspective on the young boy accompanying him, and his outlook on society. The film’s conclusion is laced with humanitarian values, portraying human nature in both its goodness and cruelty while providing a sliver of hope for this marginalized group. The story’s main and secondary plots interweave around Bashay’s search for his family, becoming an obsession for both the characters and the audience, who are swept along in this journey.

One Eye Laughs, the Other Cries

Director Abu Bakr Shawky skillfully evokes sympathy for leprosy patients ostracized by their communities and exiled to remote colonies. While exposing this societal cruelty, Shawky introduces comedic moments through Bashay and various characters he meets, like the extremist in prison. These touches of humor lighten the emotional weight of the story, making the film more digestible and varied. Bashay’s long journey becomes a chance for dreams and fantasies, though reality sets in when he reaches the village he once called home and the family that once expelled him. Bashay is seized by fear and hesitation, unable to face his father, uncertain of the excuses he will hear for his abandonment.

In a powerful narrative twist, Shawky, also the film’s writer, shows Bashay, a Christian, seeking refuge in a mosque. Shawky uses these religious inversions repeatedly in the film to melt away sorrow, while subtly alluding to the Judgment Day concept in the film’s title, Yomeddine. This reference alludes to a time when people will be judged by their hearts rather than their outward appearances. The father’s rationale for abandoning Bashay — to grow up in an environment with others who share his affliction and deformities, thus sparing him from ridicule — is Shawky’s way of justifying the estrangement, while also allowing Bashay to ultimately choose returning to his colony over staying in the unfamiliar, yet nearby, world.

An Acting “Stumble” that Strengthens the Film

The film’s acting is generally consistent across most characters, with only a few scenes from lead actor Rady Gamal seeming somewhat unconvincing. Gamal, who hails from a real leprosy colony, had no prior acting experience, which occasionally affected his delivery and pronunciation in some scenes. Rather than diminishing the film, however, these moments give it a documentary-like feel, as though a fictional story is hiding within a documentary. This “stumble” becomes, in effect, a gift to the film.

Yomeddine showcases the boldness of a director willing to tackle a complex and difficult subject. Shawky’s familiarity with the topic dates back over a decade, as he directed a short documentary on the same colony in Abu Zaabal as his graduation project. After moving to New York, he returned to Egypt to make this feature film, a continuation of his initial documentary. Yomeddine has since been screened at several international festivals, including the official competition of the 71st Cannes Film Festival and the official competition of the second edition of the El Gouna Film Festival, where it won the El Gouna Star Award for Best Arab Feature Film. The film also shared the Cinema for Humanity Award with the Polish film Another Day of Life, directed by Raúl de la Fuente and Damian Nenow, and was selected to represent Egypt in the Oscar race for Best Foreign Language Film.