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In the first five minutes of the feminist film El Bab El Maftouh (The Open Door, 1963), Laila, played by Faten Hamama, transitions through three different states at once, each symbolizing the entirety of her story within only a few scenes. The first scene shows her joining a school protest, fighting against imperialism and the oppression of women. The second shows her being violently beaten by her father in her home. And finally, the third scene places her within…
