Al Mohager
Switzerland, August 1994 Locarno Film Festival Premiere France,March 1995
In this film, young Ram is a thinker who has grown up in a primitive and superstitious society, hated by his brothers and suspected of sorcery. Dissatisfied with the nomadic lifestyle of his family, he dreams of traveling to Egypt to study agriculture. Forewarned by his weather knowledge, he saves the familys flocks from a destructive sandstorm, and manages to persuade his father to let him leave for Egypt. His older brothers travel with him, but at the shipping dock they tie him up, knock him out, and dump him into the hold of a boat traveling to Egypt. When he wakes up, he is discovered by the boat owner family, who intend to sell him as a slave. They let Ram know that this sale would be his opportunity to enter the service of a powerful family, since the man they wish to sell him to, Ozir, is assistant to Amihar, the military head of Thebes. Ram actively participates in the bargaining to get the best possible price for his purchase. His initial months as a slave are a disappointment, however, since he is assigned to assist in the mummification of bodies rather than learning about agriculture. Ram is not afraid to express his contempt for the Egyptian obsession with death and the preservation of ones mortal remains, and affirms his belief in one God and the immortality of the soul independent of ones body. Amihar is impressed by Rams honesty, takes a personal liking to the young man, and gives Ram a chance to convert a barren stretch of land into a working farm. Through a combination of hard work, good mentoring, and a bit of luck, Ram is successful in this endeavor.Unfortunately, Ram becomes caught up in an intertwined mesh of sexual, political, and religious intrigues. Rams relationship with Simihit and Amihar is far more complex than in the Biblical version of the story. Amihar is a eunuch, a former harem guard. His marriage to Simihit, former princess of a vanquished nation, was at first simply a political maneuver, but he later came to care deeply for
Source: Wikipedia
