Boy from Heaven

Boy from Heaven, released in most English-speaking countries as Cairo Conspiracy, is a 2022 Arabic-language political thriller film directed by Swedish filmmaker Tarik Saleh. The film is a co-production between Sweden, France and Finland. It had its world premiere on 20 May 2022 at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. Saleh was awarded Best Screenplay, and the film received the François Chalais Prize at Cannes. It was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards but was not nominated.
Plot
Adam, the son of a fisherman from a village near El Manzala, accepts an offer to study at the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. Shortly after his arrival, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar suddenly dies and a power struggle to replace him ensues. The NSA (security service) strives to install sheikh Beblawi, but he has two competitors: neutral sheikh Negm, who is blind, and a Salafi sheikh Durani.
Adam makes friends with Zizu, who is an informer for Colonel Ibrahim from the NSA. Zizu is soon killed, and Adam tries to help solve his murder by working for Ibrahim. He infiltrates a group of extremists and gathers information about them, but he learns that they had no involvement with the murder. Once the extremists realise his role, they attempt to kill Adam, but Ibrahim stops them and forces their leader to quit and leave his position as Durani's assistant in favour of Adam.
Sheikh Negm turns himself in to the NSA and claims that he killed Zizu. The NSA is forced to arrest him despite knowing that he is not guilty. While doing menial tasks for Durani, Adam discovers that he has an illegitimate child, which disqualifies him. Sheikh Beblawi is elected Grand Imam.
Ibrahim's superior, Sobhi, orders him to kill Adam, revealing that NSA murdered Zizu too. Ibrahim is shocked and tries to help Adam to escape, but he is captured. Sobhi attempts to pressure Adam into confessing that he murdered Zizu. Ibrahim too gets arrested, but he manages to persuade General Sakran to arrange a meeting between Adam and Negm: Negm knows about NSA's role in Zizu's murder and plans to reveal it to the media during the trial; Ibrahim thinks that Adam can persuade Negm to reconsider. Adam succeeds and is let go.
Adam returns to his home village wearing al-Azhar's signature turban. He thanks his village imam, but is unable to say what he has learnt at the university. In the final scene of the film he joins his father in the fishing boat.
Cast
Production
The film was shot primarily at the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.
Release
The film had its world premiere on 20 May 2022 at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
It was released in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia as Cairo Conspiracy.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's consensus reads, "Although it may not fully unlock the promise of its tension-rich setting and premise, Cairo Conspiracys strong performances and sophisticated script offer solidly satisfying compensation". According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 based on 14 critics, the film received "generally favorable" reviews.
The film was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, and made the December shortlist.
Awards and nominations
See also
List of submissions to the 95th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
List of Swedish submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
External links
2022 films
2022 thriller films
2020s political thriller films
2020s Arabic-language films
2020s French films
Films directed by Tarik Saleh
Films set in Cairo
Swedish political thriller films
French political thriller films
Finnish political thriller films
Films shot in Istanbul