Al Ghaarkana is a colourful mythological story filmed on the edge of a desert in a remote shanty town by the sea.An unmarried beauty has already lost three spouses when she is coupled to an old man who is regarded as the village magician. He has promised to free her from the ‘curse’. She has a son, who is also reputed to have magic powers and who is worshipped as the idol of the region. There is a dream-like line in the story in which the languishing beauty sees her dream prince appear and even recognises him in a guest of her neighbours. Later this ‘prince’ entices her to a tourist hotel and seduces her, which isn’t very difficult. This love scene turns out to be fatal. The boy drowns and more tragic events follow.The film was made soberly with a minimum of folklore and shot entirely on location in southern Sinai, in and around a Bedouin camp which is called ‘Al Ghaarkana’, which means ‘the drowned ones’.
