A Resident of the City (2011)

Directed by: Adham El Sherif | 15 minutes | short movie

In a big city like Cairo, it’s all about survival. That applies to people, but certainly also to the animals that try to build a life in them, that much is clear from ‘A Resident of the City’, the short film by Egyptian film student Adham El-Sherif from 2012. You have to have a good dose of courage and survival instinct if you want to make it in a metropolis like Cairo. El-Sherif filmed his fifteen-minute mini-documentary at knee height and told the story of the city from the perspective of its protagonist: a mutt. During the day he mainly seeks peace with his mates; the city is then dusty, restless and dangerous because of all the people who are on the road. In the evening and at night, however, the time comes when the dogs are the boss on the street. Then it’s about demarcating and defending your territory. Intruders must be chased away, if necessary with great fanfare. Then you should show your teeth.

The political metaphor of finding and defending one’s own territory is of course thick, but because the story of Cairo is told from a surprising perspective (which is not immediately clear despite filming at knee height), ‘A Resident of the City something original. By following the dogs closely and drawing a strong parallel with how people have to survive in a big city, El-Sherif manages to make it a very intense and powerful viewing experience. However, there is also room for a comic note: the voice-over, which must represent the voice of the street dog in the leading role, makes it clear that the dogs speak to each other in slang. And El-Sherif closes his film with a tune reminiscent of classic American westerns. However, that light touch does not diminish the urgency of this beautifully shot mini-documentary about life on the street.