I Promise You Paradise

Morad Mostafa’s I Promise You Paradise is a brilliant exercise in minimalism. Following a violent street fight that results in the death of three of his peers, Eissa, a 17-year-old African migrant in Egypt, attempts to smuggle his loved ones out of the country as soon as he can.With barely any dialogue, Kenyi Marcellino conveys a quiet intensity that is simply impossible to turn away from. He drives around a landscape that almost feels post-apocalyptic, as if drifting in the ruins of a land where people seldom speak. The camera is always fixated on his gaze. His eyes remain ever-fixed, piercing empty space.