MOVIE • 1928

Brother of Her Brother

A brother's widow, a forbidden love, a secret that returns to haunt them.

Amal (Aziza Amir), a young widow with two toddlers, loses her husband Riyad. His brother Mokhtar (Hussein Fawzi) returns from abroad and marries her by his mother's request, agreeing to live as siblings to raise his brother's children in Cairo. Unspoken love grows, but after a drunken night at his friend Sadiq's (Stephan Rosti) party, Mokhtar sleeps with Amal and, consumed by guilt, moves out and takes a job in Sudan. Amal discovers she is pregnant. Her mother-in-law prevents an abortion and she gives birth to Osman. Two years later Mokhtar returns, takes the boy, divorces Amal, and leaves Egypt. Years later, Hassan is an accountant, Huda (Badriya Raafat) a fashion designer, and Osman (Abdel Salam Al-Nabulsi) an engineer. Engaged to Hayat (Assia Dagher), Osman returns to Egypt and meets Huda while shopping for a wedding dress — unaware she is both his cousin and his sister.