''Molasses'' (, also released as ''Bittersweet'') is a 2010 Egyptian comedy film. The literal translation of the title is "Black Honey", relating to the bitter-sweet feelings that

Egyptians Egyptians (, ; , ; ) are an ethnic group native to the Nile, Nile Valley in Egypt. Egyptian identity is closely tied to Geography of Egypt, geography. The population is concentrated in the Nile Valley, a small strip of cultivable land stretchi ...

feel towards living in their country.

Plot

Masry is an Egyptian who left his country when he was only 10 years old. He returns to Egypt 20 years later, following the death of his father. Masry desires to get back in touch with his roots and to revive his nostalgic memories of how

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

used to be. However, he quickly becomes disenchanted upon experiencing first hand the chaos that Egypt has descended into. He learns the hard way that

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

citizens have very few rights and that they live a very tough life where foreigners are often treated with more respect than Egyptians themselves. Despite the fact that this production discusses very serious issues, the film is nonetheless a mix of

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

and light drama and serves as a poignant reminder of our current times.

Summary

Masry Sayed El-Araby is an Egyptian American photographer who returns to

after twenty years abroad, having left

twenty years ago when he and his family immigrated to

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. After arriving he goes through a series of events that led him to being conned, beaten by protestors and losing his American passport. In a fit of rage, he decides to throw away his Egyptian passport as well, which leaves him stranded in the country until he can get all of his documents back. He then decides to go back to his father's old apartment and live there after being kicked out of the hotel he is staying at. Masry is reunited with his neighbour and childhood friend Said and his family, where he helps him by fixing up his father's old apartment and inviting him to live with him and his family while it gets repaired. Masry experiences the typical activities that

endure to get his life in order and to get his American passport back so he can back to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Living with Said, Masry experiences the delights of the Egyptian culture that has been a part of him that has been lacking in his life since he left

in his youth. After getting his life in order, he says goodbye to all of the companions he had met during his stay in

and boards a plane to leave

. During the take-off, he realizes that his stay has changed him and decides to stay in

Cast

Ahmed Helmy Ahmed Muhammad Helmy Abdel Rahman Awwad (; born November 18, 1968) is an Egpytians, Egyptian actor, comedian, film producer, author, TV host and diplomat. He started his career in 1993 on the Egyptian satellite broadcast in a program called ''Le ...

as Masry Sayed El-Araby * Edward as Said *

Lotfy Labib Lotfy Labib (; born 18 August 1947) is an Egyptian stage, television and film actor. He also worked as an announcer at one point. Despite having graduated from the Institute of Theatrical Arts in 1970, Labib's career was delayed for a whole decade ...

as Radi * Enaam Salousa as Saeed's Mother *

Ahmed Rateb Ahmed Rateb (‎; 23 January 1949 – 14 December 2016) was an Egyptian actor. He appeared in more than sixty films. Selected filmography See also *Cinema of Egypt *Lists of Egyptian films The following is a list of Egyptian films. The year ...

as Officer * Emy Samir Ghanem as Mervat * Dina Talaat

Reception

Overall reception has been positive, with critics praising the depiction of

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

and its residents from the point of view of an Egyptian living outside of

. Some critics have less favourable reviews, citing that Assal Eswed clings to the nationalistic tendencies of

in order to develop a relatable character to average

References

External links

{{IMDb title, 2210441 2010 films 2010s Arabic-language films Films set in Egypt 2010 black comedy films Egyptian black comedy films 2010s Egyptian films