Having read the Yacoubian Building novel a few years ago, when I first heard that it will be turned into a movie, I was intrigued and wary at the same time.
I was worried they might ruin a good novel by turning it into a 2nd class movie. 

So the day it came out, I went over with a couple of friends to check it out, and I must say, my worries were unfounded.

The story is about the old downtown Yacoubian Building, its residents, their lives, and how it reflects the status of today’s Egyptian society, with all its corruption, malfunctions and problems.

It opens with a historical brief about the building, who built it, who lived there throughout the years, and what it has become today.

The main characters of the film include Zaki Pasha (Adel Imam), the aging womanizer who’s never worked a day in his life, and spends his time chasing women and drinking, and his disapproving sister Dawlat (Esaad Younis) who can’t put up with his irresponsible lifestyle anymore.

Hatem Rasheed  (Khaled El Sawy ), the respectable half-French, half-Egyptian editor-in-chief of a big magazine who’s secretly homosexual. 

Taha Al Shazli  (Mohamed Imam), the doorman’s son, whose dreams to become a police officer are shattered because of his dad’s job, and his childhood sweetheart, Bosayna (Hend Sabry), a struggling young girl who’s torn between protecting her honor, and her desperate need for money. 

Azzam Beik (Nour El Sherif), the man who rose from rags to riches and hungers for power, and his helpless second wife (Somaya Khashab) whom he married in secret for his own intimate needs.

The movie, contrary to my expectations, is very well done; the setting, the story, but most of all, the acting. All the characters were very well presented, even Adel Imam – who, let’s face it, doesn’t exactly fit the Basha profile – was quite good. 

But the one worth mentioning is Khaled El Desouky’s performance; for the first time in Egyptian film industry a homosexual is presented in a serious and realistic manner. 

Finally, the movie was very faithful to the book, without deriving the storyline or altering the characters. 
This is definitely the movie this season, and I think everyone should watch