Destiny (1997)

Original title

المصير

Directed by

Youssef Chahine

Genre

biographical film

Country

France, Egypt

Runtime

2h 15m

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 44 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In 12th century Cordoba, the philosopher Averroes is a trusted advisor to the Caliph. Religious fanatics gain power and turn the Caliph against him, leading to political instability and persecution.

contemplativepolitically chargedstatelymeditativethought-provokinghistorically groundedrestrainedmelancholicconflict-driven

What happens

Destiny (Arabic: المصير, translit. al-Maṣīr; French: Le Destin) is a 1997 Egyptian-French historical drama film directed and co-written by Youssef Chahine. It was screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. The film was selected as the Egyptian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 70th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. The film is about Averroes, a 12th-century philosopher from Andalusia who would be known as the most important commentator on Aristotle. The film is set in Córdoba and depicts the relationship between the Caliph and Averroes, who is one of his most trusted advisors. Religious fanatics start gaining control and begin influencing the Caliph's decisions, leading to the persecution of the philosopher, and to political unrest in Andalusia. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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