📽 Oh Rambo, what have you done to us? In his debut, writer and director Khaled Mansour really outdid himself. Finding an Exit for Mr. Rambo — referred to simply as Rambo — is his first ever feature film, and it was quite captivating.

Good dog: Hassan (Essam Omar) is a calm, hardworking, security guard who lives in a working-class neighborhood with his mother Altaf (Samaa Ibrahem), and his dog Rambo. Their simple life becomes complicated after a dispute erupts over their house and their neighbor, Karem (Ahmed Bahaa from Sharmoofers) tries to push them to vacate their home to expand his workshop. The events escalate and Karem starts a fight with Hassan, which results in Rambo attacking him to protect his owner.

This is where Hassan’s journey to find a safe place for Rambo away from Karem’s potential retaliation begins. This becomes a journey of self-discovery where he meets his ex-partner Asmaa (Rakeen Saad) — who is now engaged to another man — and his uncle Fathi (Hassan El Adl) — who reminds him of his absent father — reinforcing a recurring feeling of everything being stolen from him.

What makes this film brilliant is its attention to detail. Although the story is dark and depicts an oppressed protagonist, there are also glimmers of positivity that the director captures using the performances. The use of colors, imagery, music, and locations fit perfectly with the characters’ emotional state. There are also some political, social and philosophical easter eggs for the viewers to notice, punctuated by a Mohamed Mounir song about generations and their share of defeats.

WHERE TO WATCH- You can find the movie at VOX Cinemas at City Center Almaza and Mall of Egypt, Cima Arkan, Cairo Festival City, Citystars cinemas, Zawya, and Point90. You can also watch on YouTube (runtime: 1:48)

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