Omar El Zohairy established his unique approach to cinema in his first short film, which was inspired by silent films. His debut feature, Feathers, represents a kind of culmination of this strategy. The film presents the portrait of a woman whose dull life of labor is suddenly and dramatically changed one day, when her talkative husband turns into a chicken in a magic box during her son′s birthday party. Her once flat routine becomes an adventure. But in a conservative and discriminatory framework, there is nothing the wife can do independently. The more she tries to save her life, the more the system binds her. The mother of three, who seems to be nearing salvation, finally realizes that she is the one who will lead the salvation. Feathers proves El Zohairy as the standing torchlight of Egyptian cinema today. (LEE Yong Cheol)