When two crazy families get stuck inside an apartment for a night, a missing dagger and a fire scare are the least of the problems. Netflix’s new Egyptian family drama Face to Face can be criticized for a lot of things, but not for a lack of entertainment value. The tension between the in-laws over the divorce settlement of their kids is an engaging watch you wouldn’t want to miss.
Spoilers Ahead
What happens in the movie?
Sherif and Dalia have spent years together, and their relationship has been pretty much a fairytale on social media. They have a little boy together, and Adam’s the glue that helps the couple stick together through thick and thin. One night, the couple gets into a heated argument, and things go beyond their control. Dalia’s mother overhears the fight over the phone, and she comes to the house along with her husband and son Selim. Selim almost looks like a rejected pro wrestler, and his anger meter is dialed up to eleven. Dalia’s father also involves Sherif’s parents, and Sherif calls his best friends Wael and Magdy to help him with the situation. The two families get into a fight that lasts the whole night as the apartment’s metal door gets jammed and locks them in.
What do the two parties want?
Dalia’s mother is a cunning woman who keeps her docile husband and Selim under her control. On the other side, Sherif’s father’s behavior comes off as that of a cool-headed, rational man who maintains a loving relationship with his wife. It’s not that simple; as it later turns out, Sherif’s mother gets suppressed by him too. The two families are complete opposites, and so are their demands. Dalia’s family wants them to get a divorce and a huge alimony from Sherif. Sherif’s family wants the couple to reconcile and handle the issues themselves. Both sides refuse to back down, and they get their respective lawyers involved through a video call. Mr. Serag, Sherif’s family lawyer, takes a jab at his opponent by bringing his wife into it. Apparently Panther’s ex-wife has written a 5,000-word book about him, titled “The Biggest Pain of the Smallest Thing.” The families don’t reach any resolution, and Selim and Wael get into a fist fight. Meanwhile, Magdy, who had been waiting outside all this time, runs to the apartment when he hears the shouting. He kicks the door hard enough to jam the locks, and both families get stuck with each other. The locksmiths are not available, and the police refuse to help in a situation where the wife hasn’t been physically abused.
How does Magdy come inside the house?
Magdy has had enough of waiting out, and he decides to bend the rules to get inside. He knocks on the door of Sherif’s old neighbor and talks his way into his house. After manipulating him for a bit, Magdy finds the old man’s balcony and climbs his way up to Sherif’s rooftop. Magdy’s arrival spooks both sets of parents, Dalia’s parents think Sherif is gathering goons, and Sherif’s parents think Magdy is a stoner and a criminal. Magdy tries to play the peacemaker, but instead starts another fight between the families. Selim and Magdy have history, and the heat between them fuels the fight further. Wael takes Magdy to the gaming room, and the boys start a truce between them to play FIFA together. Selim and Magdy had differences in business, and Selim lost some money, and Magdy had to deal with the consequences. Wael manages to restore peace, and they start getting along again.
How does Kahoul plan to marry Shimo?
Dalia’s parents’ driver, Kahoul, is into the housemaid, Shimo. Shimo and Kahoul bond over badmouthing their respective masters, and Kahoul wants to leave his wife to marry Shimo. Shimo knows Kahoul’s intentions are foul, and she rejects his proposal right away. Kahoul spikes her drink, and she starts to behave as you’d expect. Shimo takes off her hijab and blouse and takes in the fresh air. Sherif’s parents see this unfolding and try to comfort her, but Shimo trashtalks about how Aziz is not a man for letting the women in his house live an independent life. When Aziz asks her why she is walking without her headscarf if she is so judgmental, Shimo realizes what she’s done. She breaks down in tears and blames Aziz for unveiling her. Aziz eventually figures out that it was Kahoul who spiked her drink. Shimo then goes on to confess her secret love for Sherif, which only adds to the drama.
Why do the Kin conspire the divorce?
Both sets of parents got into warrior mode so hard that Dalia and Sherif’s opinions didn’t matter anymore. While Dalia’s friend Salma also suggests that she should get away and live her life without the whining of a man, Sherif has a one-on-one conversation with Dalia’s father, and Sherif wouldn’t want to stay silent in front of his wife and lose his dignity like he did. Dalia also runs into Aziz, and she accidentally overhears him shushing his doctor up to keep him from getting admitted to a hospital. Dalia lets him know that ever since Sherif introduced them, she’s only seen him as her own father, and she won’t tell on him if he doesn’t wish to. Dalia’s mother is hell bent on breaking them up, and she tells Dalia how she shouldn’t suffer the same way she did. The contradictory views around Sherif and Dalia only work against them. Both mothers start fighting on Facebook and call each other names. This gives Wael an opportunity to come closer to Salma. For a brief period of time, Dalia thinks that Salma was into Sherif when they first met, and now she wants to wreck her home. Even though the girls patch up, Salma gives Wael her number just to prove that she’s not a jealous homewrecker. Wael knows that he’s nothing but a tool for Salma, but he has no problem with playing along. The politics isn’t just limited to the kin; it spreads to the friends too.
Why did Dalia’s mother set fire to the apartment?
A huge mishap in the bathroom leads Aziz and Magdy to find themselves in huge trouble. Aziz accidentally injects medicine into Mohab’s stomach while trying to help him, and he hits his head on a wall before collapsing on the ground. Aziz texts his wife and son to keep Selim and Dalia’s mom out of the bathroom, but that doesn’t happen for long. Dalia’s mom finds out her husband is missing, but Aziz convinces Mohab to keep quiet about the whole matter for the sake of both their sons. Mohab walks out and says he’s been hurt in the bathroom, and Aziz and Magdy helped him, but his wife keeps hurling insults at him. Moved by his son-in-law, Mohab gathers up his courage and divorces his wife right there. In a fit of rage, Dalia’s mom sets a controlled fire on the rooftop, hoping the fire department will break them out of there. But Shimo is still high and puts an entire bottle of gasoline into the fire, setting fire all around the roof. The fire brigade does arrive and put the fire out, but they don’t have the liability to break down the door when they’ve already done their job.
Will Sherif and Dalia get together?
After a long night of back and forth, the families finally get out in the morning. The divorce talk was still there; just the concerned parties switched places. Mohab leaves to get his torn ear fixed up, and the family finds Sherif and Dalia cuddling in the bedroom. Dalia’s mom calls her a charlatan, and Dalia shouts at everyone to leave her bedroom. Aziz tells Mohab that it’s best to leave the kids alone for a night and let them decide what’s best for them, and they shouldn’t meddle in their personal affairs. Sherif and Dalia are still not completely okay, as the Facebook fight between their mothers has turned so big that they’re bombarded with notifications. They decide to choose the future on their own terms and go to sleep after the night of mayhem, which almost burned their house down, quite literally.
