A child rests her head against her father’s reassurances; the nurse takes a scalpel to her body, between her thighs, and it kills her. Bein Bahrain (‘Between Two Seas’, 2019) is a raw, unforgiving tale set in rural Egypt—one which refuses to stray from the gory, gritty realities of illiteracy and violence against women. From its trembling camera work, desaturated palette, and the eyes of its broken women, this is not a story of victory—it is a gospel of redemption. Bein Bahrain takes place in a small Nile isle off the banks of Cairo, tracing the shadows of three families as they coast their own domesticated tragedies: a woman abused by her deadbeat husband, a mother who loses her daughter to female genital mutilation, and a young doctor who cannot find peace or respect within her community. Director Anas Tolba paints portraits of women who compel and enrage, ones who inspire and dishearten. For all their flaws and the tribulations of their lives, these women are a study in conservatism, heartbreak, and poverty. Bein Bahrain is not a film meant to entertain, but rather it is designed to educate those…
