Review of The Yacoubian Building

I just saw "The Yacoubian Building" last night. Let me first say that it was an ambitious, well-acted film . Ultimately, though, despite the three hours running time, I walked away unsatisfied, defeated by the film's ambition. In an effort to bring all the problems facing Egypt to light, the filmmaker has stretched himself too thin. Each of the topics addressed: the plight of women, homosexuality, corruption, fundamentalism, etc., could easily have been its own full-length film. I was particularly concerned with the fundamentalism segment of the movie. The character and his motivations were too undeveloped to understand his convictions and his actions, and I feel that it is irresponsible to release such a superficial overview to the West. I am worried that this portrayal may help cement some Westerners' anti-Arab view (while I understand that the intention was completely opposite). Overall, as mentioned earlier, I thought that this has the potential to be a fabulous series of movies, but all thrown together, it leaves something to be desired.