“La Moakhza” (Excuse My French)

“La Moakhza” (Excuse My French) is about a Christian kid suddenly is forced to go to a public school after his father dies and because of a misunderstanding everyone thinks that he's a Muslim. The film is directed and written by Amr Salama.

Young Hany Abdallah Beter (Ahmed Dash), an Ahmed Helmy voiceover introduces Hany and his mum and dad, and the bank where his father works, and the fancy school where he does interesting science experiments, and the family watching his favorite British football team or “Seinfeld.” Everything is sunny and clean, with clear flat colors, and the characters pose for the camera, constantly smiling, like in a children’s picture book.

Hany is a 14-year-old boy from an upper-class Christian family in Cairo. He leads a happy, sheltered life until his father suddenly dies, forcing him to face brand-new realities. For financial reasons, his mother (Kenda Allouch) moves him from international school where he was widely popular for his wit and intellect, to a shabby public school where he has a very hard time getting along with his fellow students. When a misunderstanding leads the teachers and students in his new school to think he is a Muslim, Hany decides not to tell them the truth.

Hany then realizes that he's not the only one who is trying to conform, he finds his teachers, Nelly and Amin- who was once his friend. It surprises him that Amin acts as a totally different person in that society. However later on, he could not vent his anger and fight for virtues which make no sense in such society.

However, Hany finds a friend in Momen who shares a seat with him in school and who eventually helps him on his quest to impress his classmates. The scenes with the two actors together provide some of La Moakhza’s most funny and entertaining moments, and their relationship can be considered as the line that sets the tone for the whole story.

In addition, Hany relates to his science teacher, Nelly because she somehow looked like his mother and like the background he came from. He could not understand why other boys viewed her in a different sense only because she did not look like them. He attempts to warn her from the other boys' plan to harass her. Later on when he meets her once again in church, he is startled to discover that she's a Muslim.

At the end, Hany AbdAllah deforms into double-standard character having to deal with both societies; that which he comes from and the other which he has found himself in.

The movie is filled of comedy and dramatic scenes.

I highly recommend it the story of the movie is interesting La Moakhza is a creative movie shedding light on serious issues in the Egyptian society through a comic scenario.