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The Beginning and the End

Name: The Beginning and the End
Director: Salah Abu Seif
Released: 1960
Duration: 130 min

Representation Score

3.7/10

Limited

1960

Director

Salah Abu Seif

Runtime

130 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Salah Abu Seif’s work is a landmark of Egyptian Realism, utilizing the domestic struggles of a Cairo family to critique broader systemic oppression. The film excels in its authentic, non-Western perspective, providing a robust look at class hierarchies and the impact of economic disparity on individuals. However, the film's representation is uneven. While it offers deep cultural and racial authenticity, it lacks diversity in terms of LGBTQ+ identities and disability. The gender dynamics, while critical of social structures, often leave female characters in positions of vulnerability rather than active roles. Ultimately, the film succeeds as a sophisticated social critique. It uses the microcosm of a family in crisis to challenge the stability of traditional institutions and highlight the realities of the subaltern experience.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Beginning and the End have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on a traditional nuclear family in 1930s Cairo and does not depict any non-straight or non-cisgender identities or same-sex intimacy.

How does The Beginning and the End portray gender?

Fair

Female characters face extreme vulnerability due to economic pressures. While the film critiques systemic failures, it often illustrates how traditional structures fail to protect women rather than challenging these hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Beginning and the End?

Excellent

The narrative offers an authentic portrayal of the Egyptian working and middle classes. It avoids a Western-centric gaze by centering local socioeconomic realities and regional cultural identity.

How does The Beginning and the End represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The story provides a potent critique of feudal-like structures and economic disparity. It frames the struggle of the lower class against systemic exploitation as a central thematic pillar.

Does The Beginning and the End include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no prominent depictions of visible or invisible disabilities used as central plot drivers or character traits.

Present on Screen

Provides a highly authentic representation of Egyptian working and middle-class life.
Offers a sophisticated critique of capitalist and feudal exploitation.
Avoids a Western-centric gaze by centering local socioeconomic realities.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisgender gender expressions.
Does not feature prominent depictions of disability.
Female characters are often depicted through vulnerability rather than active ability to act.

Official Synopsis

Set in the suburbs of Cairo in the late 1930s, the story follows a middle-class Egyptian family grappling with the hardships of life after the death of their father, their sole breadwinner. The mother and her four children—three brothers and their sister, Nefisah—struggle to avoid slipping into poverty. They all go in different directions which aren't exactly good.

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