Film Review: Americans in Egypt

A Captivating Documentary, A Unique Experience

Review of the Film Americans in Egypt

There is a common perception among audiences, and even some documentary filmmakers, that a documentary is supposed to be a direct, unmediated record of reality. Some viewers still believe that a documentary, any one, can purely present real images without being influenced by a director’s taste or perspective. However, even in wildlife documentaries, the director’s taste and point of view are always involved; from the moment a director decides where to place the camera, they are defining nature through their own narrative and approach. In some documentaries, these personal, artistic, and creative elements are more prominent, and the director presents us with a deeply personal version of reality. Americans in Egypt, directed by Johnny Vonneumann, is such a documentary.

As the title suggests, the short documentary Americans in Egypt focuses on Egypt, but one should not expect a conventional or typical documentary. The experience of watching this film is fundamentally different from that of other documentaries about cities or countries. Above all, it is important to note that this documentary revolves around the concept of travel. The film is shot in a way that makes the viewer feel like one of the thousands of travelers who have set foot in Cairo to see the Pyramids of Giza. This travel-centric feature fundamentally alters how we perceive the visuals. Experiencing a city as a traveler is entirely different from observing it from a safe distance as a mere spectator. A viewer who remains detached from the film always maintains a certain distance, viewing the unfamiliar city as a place whose beauties and flaws can be leisurely evaluated. They can highlight its positive and significant aspects, point out its weaknesses, and assess the city from the perspective of an observer. This is what most location-based documentaries do. However, in Americans in Egypt, we step down from the observer’s perch and immerse ourselves in the city’s streets, alleys, corridors, staircases, and squares. With a backpack, hat, and the gear any traveler carries, we constantly turn our heads from one side to another, taking in the places, buildings, people, and signs. The experience we undergo in Americans in Egypt is that of a traveler who has a limited, fleeting opportunity to explore a city. This experience is made possible by the documentary’s standout feature: its inclination toward Experimental Cinema.

In Experimental Cinema, what matters most is offering a fresh perspective on a subject, especially one that has been extensively explored before. Experimental filmmakers strive to set aside preconceived notions, familiar visuals, and established narratives about subjects that have been repeatedly addressed or even cemented over time, presenting a new, personal, and unique take. Johnny Vonneumann, the director of Americans in Egypt, has approached the genre of city and country documentaries with an experimental mindset and has succeeded remarkably in this endeavor. He completely disrupts our preconceived notions of such documentaries and, by presenting locations through a collage of images, evokes a fresh sensation. The same locations we see in this documentary would have elicited a different response from the audience if shown in a straightforward manner without advanced editing techniques. However, the director employs editing techniques that transform the impact of conventional shots, turning them into a unique and singular experience. This effect is not solely due to editing; it begins at the cinematography stage. The choice of lenses, camera movements, and framing all enable the director to achieve the desired composition during editing—a composition which includes dissolves, the blending of various images, and music that beautifully ties these visuals together.

Americans in Egypt is a Documentary Opera in two acts. The first act is titled The Engagement, and the second is called The Tribute. First, let’s consider the music in these two acts. At the beginning and end of the first act, the music has a gentle, calm tone. However, throughout the first act, we hear a range of emotions in the music—from excitement and anxiety to joy, tenderness, and even nostalgia. Orchestral sections are used to convey passionate, emphatic emotions, while moments featuring only the piano create pauses, stillness, and tranquility. As a result, the film skillfully uses music to achieve its varied dramatic tones, rises, and falls. At the start of the second act, which begins in the middle of the film, we encounter a calm and gentle atmosphere. This ambiance, which gives the viewer a moment to rest and focus, gradually builds toward the film’s second climax with the sounds of string and wind instruments. This climax corresponds to images of local people the filmmaker encountered during the journey. Thus, the second act serves as a tribute to the people and the land—a form of gratitude.Americans in Egypt is an artistic film crafted with finesse, precision, and skill, with clear evidence that every moment was thoughtfully planned and conceptualized. It is evident that the filmmakers knew how to use every minute to evoke specific emotions in the audience, were well-versed in their craft, and, most importantly, succeeded in using their tools to achieve the desired outcome. The film takes its audience on an engaging and delightful journey, introducing them not only to the city but also to the director’s feelings about being there. Crucially, we can sense the narrator’s—the director’s—emotions from experiencing this city, allowing us to calibrate our own feelings based on this perception.