Khatee'at Malak, 1979
Yehia El Alami
Khatee'at Malak, 1979
Digital video, colour
109 minutes
Arabic with English subtitles
Film still
Synopsis
This vexing piece of 1970's psychedelia manages to make Heaven look like the interior of a starship, where vaguely STAR TREK-inspired viewing screens and uniforms, as well as choreographed dance routines, are all the rage. With the head angel outraged after viewing a compilation of scenes of human excess on Earth, blue-eyed Husayn Fahmi gets to observe humanity at first hand, becoming embroiled in organized crime and murder but nevertheless concluding that humankind (not to mention fallen angels like himself) are still worthy of redemption.