Several films in recent years have been set in the slums of Cairo, but Hesham Issawi’s Cairo Exit is an uncontrived, uncompromising portrayal of the difficulties of everyday survival for young men and women with ambition. Amal, a spunky eighteen- year-old, is in love with Tarek, who dreams of leaving the blithe poverty and injustice of their slum by sneaking illegally into Europe. Having to keep their love a secret due to a religious divide (she’s Coptic, he’s Muslim), their situation becomes impossibly complicated when Amal realizes she’s pregnant. Refreshingly gritty, Cairo Exit strikes an affecting balance between its depiction of the unforgiving harshness of life in the slums and the characters’ tenacious pursuit of a more dignified life.