The most famous actor in Egypt, George Fahmy (Fares Fares), gets an offer he’d better not refuse: playing President al-Sisi in a hagiographic biopic.

The final entry in the director’s Cairo trilogy addresses the power of Egypt’s politics and military, throwing the lead character into a conspiracy involving the real-life dictator. Fares is convincing as the glamorous star, whose male ego faces constant challenges (often in humorous ways).

The most arresting scene echoes the 1981 assassination of Sadat, but the rest of the film lacks the kind of energy that might have made it memorable.

2025-Sweden-France-Denmark-Finland-Germany. 129 min. Color. Widescreen. Written and directed by Tarik Saleh. Music: Alexandre Desplat. Costume Design: Virginie Montel. Cast: Fares Fares (George Fahmy), Lyna Khoudri (Donya), Cherien Dabis (Rula Haddad), Amr Waked, Zineb Triki, Sherwan Haji. 

Trivia: Co-executive produced by Fares and Saleh. The other two films in the trilogy are The Nile Hilton Incident (2017) and Boy from Heaven (2022). 

Guldbagge Awards: Best Film, Actor (Fares), Screenplay, Costume Design, Makeup, Visual Effects, Sound.