Imagine entering a parallel universe where you meet a copy of yourself living the perfect life you always wanted.
In the movie Fasel min el-Lahazat el-Laziza (A Break of Happy Moments) directed by Ahmed el-Gendi, Saleh (Hisham Maged) is married to Dorria (Hana el-Zahed) but living a life full of quarrelling and stress.
Saleh, a lazy engineer who has been fired from his job, finds by chance a mysterious portal in the wall of his apartment through which he travels to parallel universe where he is a successful entrepreneur. Also, he finds a copy of his wife as a famous TV presenter. The new universe is very different from what Saleh’s universe looks like. It’s more lavish and calm. Nervousness is prohibited. If one raises his voice, security guards come and punish him. So, people speak in low tones, appreciate each other and always keep calm.
In their real world, Saleh and his wife always insult each other. This made Saleh think of changing his life by sending his copy to his miserable life while he takes over the life of prosperity. But, the events take a twist when his wife follows him into the new world.
Hisham Maged portrayed the contradiction of Saleh in the two worlds professionally, and spontaneously, without exaggeration in showing the details of each personality. Hana el-Zahed played the character of Dorria, who is also a failure in reality but a successful broadcaster in the parallel world. She gave a light performance in both characters, especially in the parallel world as she became calmer, with a gentle voice which is different from the other aggressive character.As for actor Mohamed Tharwat, he plays Kamal, cousin of engineer Saleh in both worlds. He is an employee in the real world, and an important personality in the parallel world, he was able to present the difference between the two characters smoothly.
Also the character of Saleh and Dorria’s child Boudi is well-presented by young actor Jan Ramez. Boudi is a naughty boy in the real world and a very calm and polite boy in the parallel world.
In the parallel world everything is pink and colorful just like Barbie world that was featured in the 2023 Barbie movie, even costumes and hairstyle. On the other hand, the original world is gloomy, messy and depressing.
The set designer Amr Salah found simple solutions to create the difference between the two worlds, using the cheerful spring colours that are strongly present in the parallel world, and he also created simple designs with few details to show ‘Geneina’ (the garden) – a place in the parallel world where punished people go. The decor in the movie is not only used as a backdrop for events, but also participates in generating comedic moments.
Throughout the movie, the duo Hisham Majed and Hana el-Zahed along with the rest of the cast, presented a very rich comedy while moving from one character to its contrary smoothly. The movie is suitable for all the family.
