Brink of Dreams
Majda Masoud, a teenage girl, stares out at the water, illuminated by the sun, seen from the back.
MAJDA MASOUD (subtitled Arabic): I dreamed I was in a tiny space with no door.
[TWO GIRLS LAUGHING]
Masoud and another girl hold hands and laugh together.
The logo for “63 Semaine De La Critique Cannes 2024” appears against a black background.
Six girls run through a field of grass, laughing.
MASOUD: I couldn’t breathe, I panicked. I didn’t know how to get out.
The group of six girls sit in a circle, laughing.
The logo for Dulac Distribution appears against a black background.
[THE SOUND OF PEOPLE LAUGHING, SPEAKING OVER ONE ANOTHER]
A door with “No Entry” written on it in Arabic opens to reveal a line of laundry hanging outside on a sunny day.
A group of girls work together to build a large wooden frame.
GIRL 1: Your sister does theatre. You should be proud!
Girls carry large wooden panels to place on the frame. Another girl arranges a rug on top of the panel.
MAN 1: Proud? On the contrary. I am ashamed.
An overhead shot of a city. Text “El Barsha, Egypt” appears in the lower left corner.
[MUSIC BEGINS]
Five girls walk down a street led by Marina Samir who plays a drum.
MARINA SAMIR: People of Barsha! We have a new performance!
The group of girls perform outside in front of a crowd of mostly children. The girl at the center wears a headpiece which dangles in front of her face and sings.
SINGER: My body isn’t a sin.
Seven girls dance around on the wooden platform they built earlier.
GIRL 2 (in voiceover): We love theatre. It’s a way for us to express our opinions.
The girls stand in front of the crowd outside and raise their arms. Two spectators peer over balconies to watch, and people in the crowd look on intently.
Myriam Nassar, wearing a pink and white zip-up hoodie, speaks passionately to the crowd.
MYRIAM NASSAR: I want to wear a dress without a jacket covering it.
Two girls in the crowd look on.
HAIDY SAMEH (in voiceover): A girl can’t choose her life partner...
A few men going by, many of them on motorcycles.
Haidy Sameh, wearing a pink shirt and glasses, speaks to the crowd.
SAMEH: ...while boys do as they please.
Close-up on Masoud, who is chanting along with the other girls.
MASOUD: A harasser is wrong.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC BEGINS]
Sameh sits with a child and they both watch a video on a smartphone.
SAMEH Why not pursue my desires before marriage?
Close-up on the phone, which is playing a video of three girls stretching.
Sameh laughs and applies lipstick.
Close-up on Sameh’s feet as she puts on high heels.
Sameh sits in front of a brick wall.
SAMEH: I won’t do what you want. I’ll do what I am comfortable with.
The perspective shifts slightly to show a bald man sitting beside her.
MAN 2: What do you want to do?
Sameh paces around the wooden platform and stands against a wooden pole.
Close-up on Monika Youssef who begins to sing.
MONIKA YOUSSEF: If I can’t make music albums and be famous...
Close-up on Youssef wearing a headpiece where three rows of soft fabric flowers fall over her face like a veil.
Youssef, in shadowy profile, sings into a mic.
Youssef speaks to a group of three other girls.
YOUSSEF: I prefer to die.
A carnival ride containing one couple spins.
Youssef and a man sit across from each other at a table outside, empty drink cups in front of them.
MAN 3: You will be a housewife.
Youssef is seen in a mirror, her image slightly doubled, with her hair and make-up done.
YOUSSEF (in voiceover): I will perform!
Youssef is draped in wedding finery, wearing a tiara and veil.
YOUSSEF: This was my condition to get engaged.
Youssef dances in a room with strobing lights, wearing a sparkling white dress.
A waxing gibbous moon in a hazy purple sky.
Close-up on a girl leaning over a railing and looking on at a river.
A person and a camel walk by in a dusty, orange landscape in front of a building decorated with two Coptic crosses and surrounded by palm trees.
Close-up on Masoud walking down a dusty street. (same as brown shirt girl)
MASOUD: Actually I want to study in Cairo.
Close-up on a phone with Arabic text on it. The subtitle reads “Theatre Institute.”
Masoud works the counter at a small shop, helping a young boy.
MAN 4 (in voiceover): What will you do in Cairo?
Masoud sits cross-legged on the wooden platform, writing in a notebook.
MAN 4: You won’t even be able to cross the street.
Masoud stands in profile and breathes in deeply.
A bird flies above a space with four enclosed brick walls and an open top.
One of the girls, wearing a headpiece with strings covering her face like a veil, speaks to spectators with open arms.
GIRL: I dreamt I was flying.
Sameh, Masoud and a third girl dance on a rooftop. Another shot of the girls dancing.
Masoud, wearing a veil-like headpiece too, speaks to spectators.
MASOUD: We don’t know what we are waiting for!
Masoud, Samir and other girls stand in a line outside and thump sticks into the ground in front of an audience.
Five girls stand ankle-deep in water. Above them in the blue sky, the text “The Brink of Dreams” appears in English and Arabic. In the water below, the text “A film by Nada Riyadh & Ayman El Amir” appears.
The text “Soon” appears over a black background, and a link below to www.dulacdistribution.com.
[MUSIC ENDS]
Saturday, May 3
5 pm | Linder Theater
New York Premiere
Directors: Nada Riyadh, Ayman El Amir
2024 | 101 min | Egypt
The Panorama theatre troupe is looking for a new rehearsal space. As an all-female, mostly teenage company, it’s not just a stage that Panorama seeks out—the streets of their remote town provide their most important platform. The girls must also prepare themselves for backlash from their friends and family. Fearlessly tackling taboo subjects like arranged marriages, the Panorama troupe evolves over time, honing their acting and singing skills to challenge gender norms within their community.
Check out the full Margaret Mead Film Festival schedule.