30 Years Ago

30 Years Ago

Year: 2016

Runtime: 170 mins

Language: Arabic

Director: Amr Arafa

DramaThriller

After returning from abroad, Omar intends to divide his wealth among his nine family members. However, he warns them that the money is cursed, claiming it brings misfortune to those who possess it. He's already convinced his cousin, Emad, after a series of unsettling incidents involving family members. Together, they attempt to unravel the mystery behind the alleged curse and its impact on their family.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – 30 Years Ago (2016)

Explore the full timeline and setting of 30 Years Ago (2016). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1990s–early 2000s

The story unfolds over roughly three decades, starting with a move to Cairo and the expansion of the arms trade. The timeline includes a later return from abroad and a mounting wave of fatal consequences as inheritance and power shift. It portrays a era where crime and ambition reshape family fortunes in a changing Egypt.

Location

Minya, Cairo (Attaba neighborhood)

The action begins in Minya before moving to Cairo, specifically the Attaba district, where the family sets up an arms shop and escalates their wealth. The settings swing between the provincial origins and a dense urban environment, reflecting a crime-driven family saga. Attaba becomes a focal point where business and betrayal collide.

🏙️ Urban setting 🗺️ Egypt 🧭 Family saga

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 11:56

Main Characters – 30 Years Ago (2016)

Meet the key characters of 30 Years Ago (2016), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Hanan (Mona Zaki)

A poet who moves to Cairo seeking opportunity and becomes a central figure in the inheritance drama. Her marriage to Omar places her at the heart of the family’s power dynamics, linking art, ambition, and romance to a landscape of wealth and betrayal. She navigates alliances carefully, shaping the course of events.

🎭 Poet 💼 Ambition ❤️ Romance

Omar (Sherif Mounir)

A once-expanding arms dealer who returns from abroad, his wealth and influence heighten the stakes for everyone in the family. He is capable, strategic, and often caught between loyalty and self-preservation as the conspiracy unfolds. His marriage to Hanan cements his role as the family’s focal point of power.

💼 Power 🧭 Strategy ❤️ Love

Emad (Ahmed Al-Saqqa)

Hoda’s son, a literary critic who grapples with poverty. He becomes a pawn in the inheritance wars, returns from abroad, and ultimately faces execution as the conspiratorial web closes in. His perspective highlights the human cost of the family’s greed and betrayal.

🎭 Intellectual 💰 Poverty 🗝️ Inheritance

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 11:56

Major Themes – 30 Years Ago (2016)

Explore the central themes of 30 Years Ago (2016), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🗝️ Family Betrayal

A wealth-obsessed clan pits siblings against each other to seize their inheritance. Nabila allies with others to oppress Sameh and Hoda, showing how loyalty erodes in the face of greed. The plot is driven by secrets, conspiracies, and a ruthless scramble for control over the family’s legacy.

💰 Wealth and Power

Wealth fuels status, influence, and danger, as arms dealing turns the family into a formidable force. Omar’s fortune transforms relationships into transactional alliances, while the pursuit of wealth precipitates violence and tragedy. The inheritance becomes both a prize and a weapon.

⚖️ Justice and Fate

Conspiracies and retaliation drive the narrative toward a brutal conclusion, where several family members die and the survivors rethink their allegiances. Emad’s execution underscores the inescapable consequences of greed and manipulation. The ending reveals how fortune can invert loyalties and seal a dramatic fate.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 11:56

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Cursed Inheritance Tragedies like 30 Years Ago

Stories where a tainted legacy unleashes greed, betrayal, and ruin upon a family.If you liked the dark spiral of greed and betrayal in 30 Years Ago, explore more movies where a supposedly cursed inheritance tears a family apart. These intense dramas and thrillers feature complex family dynamics, a fast-paced cascade of misfortune, and ultimately bleak endings.

oppressivesuspensefultragicominousgreed-drivenfatalisticanxious

Narrative Summary

The narrative typically begins with the introduction of a vast, cursed inheritance that acts as a poison chalice. As family members vie for control, long-held secrets and betrayals surface, leading to a domino effect of violence, accidents, and despair that systematically dismantles the family unit.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared focus on a destructive family legacy, high emotional weight from tragic consequences, and a dark, fatalistic tone. They deliver a consistent experience of oppressive suspense and moral collapse.

Fast-Paced Family Downfall Thrillers like 30 Years Ago

Intense sagas where a powerful family rapidly implodes from within under pressure.For fans of the relentless, high-tension collapse in 30 Years Ago, this collection features similar movies about dynasties unraveling quickly. These complex dramas and thrillers share a fast pace, dark tone, heavy emotional weight, and explore themes of greed, crime, and betrayal within a family.

suspensefulclaustrophobicanxioustragicdynasticunravelingoppressive

Narrative Summary

These narratives chart the rapid decline of a family dynasty, often over a compressed timeline. Internal conflicts, external pressures, and a series of catastrophic events escalate quickly, leaving characters with little time to react, resulting in a devastating and seemingly inevitable conclusion.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are united by their breakneck pacing and high intensity, which create a palpable sense of dread and inevitability. They share a complex narrative structure tracking multiple characters and a dominant mood of anxious, claustrophobic suspense.

Unlock the Full Story of 30 Years Ago

Don't stop at just watching — explore 30 Years Ago in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what 30 Years Ago is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

30 Years Ago Summary

Read a complete plot summary of 30 Years Ago, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

30 Years Ago Summary

30 Years Ago Timeline

Track the full timeline of 30 Years Ago with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

30 Years Ago Timeline

30 Years Ago Spoiler-Free Summary

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30 Years Ago Spoiler-Free Summary

More About 30 Years Ago

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