How are young Egyptians doing today? Egyptian film students answer that question in “Behind High Walls”, but the answer is nothing short of a depressing look at reality. The result of a mysterious potential overdose and a series of unfortunate events ranging from the aftermath of a revolution and a romantic failure, the short film takes place entirely at a funeral, narrated by 20-something-year-old Karim, the deceased. Directed by Frank Bartscheck and produced by Tania Kamaleldin and students from the American University in Cairo, the film had two exclusive virtual premieres on YouTube last week. The eerie social commentary is led by actor Tayam Amar, who plays Karim from beyond the grave. Karim comes over as a little too confident for comfort for a dead person and has seemingly made peace with his own tragic death. The red-lit cinematography adds to the uncomfortable mood, and the use of dripping water on his face is a fitting metaphor for the holistic tone of the short. Despite being completed in 2018, the experimental student film encompasses class, grief, post-revolutionary trauma and political divide in a short single-setting film. Karim’s friends and family…
