Chitchat is a depressing political film mainly set in the “Kingdom”, a houseboat where Ragab invites his friends over to smoke hashish and forget about daily life. The film is told from the point of view of Anis Zaki, a government clerk who regularly smokes pot before setting off to work, talking to himself about the contradictions in Egyptian society. A dramatic event will make him understand their actions are no longer acceptable.

The film is based on the acclaimed novel by Naguib Mahfouz with the same title in which the writer critically denounces society's hypocrisy. The prize-winning director Hussein Kamal has made many adaptations of novels and of his most famous films are The Postman and M's Empire.

With: Emad Hamdi, Ahmed Ramzi, Mirvat Amin, Magda al-Khatib

Duration: 119 minutes

Language: Arabic (English subtitles)