Ibn el shaab: A classic that still hits home

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, if you like black-and-white dramas where every character seems to have a secret or a debt, you'll probably dig it. It’s not for the action crowd, and if you need fast pacing, you're gonna be checking your watch by the twenty-minute mark. But if you’ve got a soft spot for Mary Mounib being absolutely iconic, just hit play.

The movie doesn't waste time pretending it's anything other than a melodrama. There’s a specific scene where the camera just sits there on a character’s face while they process some bad news, and it goes on for at least ten seconds longer than it should. It’s awkward, but in a way that actually makes you feel for them. You can tell the director was really pushing for that emotional resonance, even if the delivery feels a little stiff.

I found myself staring at the background extras more than I probably should have. In one café scene, there’s this guy in the back left just nursing a cup of tea for the entire duration of a heated argument. He never moves. It’s honestly impressive dedication to the art of being a background prop.

The vibe

There’s this weird, cozy quality to the lighting that makes everything feel like a stage play that escaped into the streets. It reminds me a bit of the domestic tension you see in Poor as a Church Mouse, where the stakes are small but feel like the end of the world to the people living through them. The dialogue is snappy, though sometimes it feels like they’re shouting lines at each other just to fill the space.

• Mary Mounib steals every single frame she’s in, obviously.
• The pacing is definitely a slow burn, or maybe just slow.
• The music cues are hilariously aggressive.

It’s not a masterpiece, and it doesn't try to be. Sometimes it feels like the movie is trying a bit too hard to tell you how to feel, with swelling strings every time someone looks sad. But then you get a moment of genuine, quiet humanity that catches you off guard. It’s messy, it’s a bit dated, but it feels real. ☕️

If you're looking for something polished and perfect, keep walking. If you want to see a bunch of great actors chewing on some melodrama while you eat your dinner, this is it. It’s just nice to watch something that isn't trying to sell you a franchise.