Pick of the Day: Cairo Time

A homegrown hit at this September's Toronto International Film Festival, Cairo Time is directed by Ruba Nadda and stars Patricia Clarkson as magazine editor named Juliette [insert reference to Shakespeare's most famous female star-crossed lover here] who journeys to Cairo to meet her husband Mark who works as a UN official in Gaza. When he's unexpectedly delayed, she seeks out the company of a former UN associate of her husband's named Tareq (Alexander Siddig) who now runs a coffeeshop in Cairo. Together, they explore the ancient and modern wonders of this teeming, and exquisitely beautiful, Egyptian city of 15 million.

Cairo Time screens tonight at the RPL theatre at 9 p.m. Here's the trailer. (YouTube) And if you're in the mood for a double-bill, The Burning Plain runs at 7 p.m. Directed by Guillermo Arriaga (who was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay for Babel) it stars Charlize Theron as a beautiful but aloof restaurant manager who must confront her sexually charged past when visited by a young stranger from Mexico. Here's the trailer for it. (YouTube)