Cairo Station

Cairo Station

Year: 1958

Runtime: 77 mins

Language: Arabic

CrimeDramaThriller

Qinawi, a physically disabled newspaper peddler working in Cairo’s bustling central train station, becomes fixated on Hanuma, an attractive young woman who sells drinks there. Though she teases him about a romance, her heart belongs to Abu Siri, a strong, respected porter determined to unionize his fellow workers and resist their boss’s exploitative, abusive practices.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Cairo Station (1958)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Cairo Station (1958). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Cairo train station, Cairo, Egypt

The story unfolds in and around a busy Cairo train station, a central hub where travelers, workers, and vendors intersect. The station functions as a microcosm of the city’s social tensions and daily struggles. Its crowded corridors, platforms, and storefronts frame the characters’ interactions and the pressures of urban life.

🗺️ Urban hub 🚉 Transit 🏙️ City setting

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:03

Main Characters – Cairo Station (1958)

Meet the key characters of Cairo Station (1958), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Qinawi — played by Youssef Chahine

A marginalized, socially awkward man whose obsession with Hannuma grows from hopeful yearning to dangerous fixation. His limp and low-status job heighten his insecurity, leading him to fantasize about a conventional life and to lash out when reality resists him.

🧠 Obsession 😕 Marginalization 🗺️ Isolation

Hannuma — played by Hind Rostom

A beautiful, practical vendor who resists Qinawi’s advances and remains focused on her own livelihood and future. She embodies female agency amid a male-dominated environment, yet she becomes entangled in the dangerous obsession around her.

💃 Independence 👁️ Rejection 🧭 Resilience

Abu Siri — played by Farid Shawqy

A robust luggage porter who champions his workers’ union and disrupts the status quo. He surfaces tensions between labor organization and personal relationships, becoming a key obstacle to Qinawi’s plans and Hannuma’s life.

🏗️ Labor 🪧 Union 💪 Power dynamics

Newsstand Owner — played by Abbas El Daly

The sympathetic employer who gives Qinawi a job and later counsels him, even enabling a dangerous plan by convincing him he can marry Hannuma. He represents the uncertain moral center that exists within the station’s rough ecosystem.

🛒 Commerce 🤝 Guidance 🗝️ Influence

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:03

Major Themes – Cairo Station (1958)

Explore the central themes of Cairo Station (1958), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🔪 Obsession

Qinawi’s fixation on Hannuma drives a downward spiral from longing to menace. The film traces how unreciprocated love can distort perception, inflame jealousy, and push a vulnerable individual toward violence. The tension builds as his fantasy collides with harsh social reality.

💔 Unrequited Love & Isolation

Hannuma’s independence and rejection intensify Qinawi’s sense of alienation. The crowded station amplifies his inadequacy, while the women’s contempt and the looming threat of marriage backfire on him. The narrative uses passion as a catalyst for tragedy, not romance.

🏙️ Urban Strife

The film portrays a metropolis where labor, gender dynamics, and social control collide. Abu Siri’s unionization efforts clash with personal desires, exposing tensions between workers and authority. The station’s grime and bustle set the backdrop for class and power struggles that culminate in a deadly act.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:03

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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.

Movies about obsessive violence like Cairo Station

Films about lonely individuals whose fixations curdle into shocking acts.If you were captivated by the tragic unraveling in Cairo Station, explore more movies like it. This collection features similar character-driven thrillers and dramas where intense loneliness or fixation leads to a violent climax, offering a stark look at psychological breakdown.

unsettlingdesperatelonelytenseclinicaloppressivetragic

Narrative Summary

This thread follows narratives centered on an isolated protagonist whose unhealthy obsession with a person or idea becomes all-consuming. The story builds methodically, often from their point of view, creating a sense of inevitability as their delusions escalate, culminating in a violent act that shatters their world and the community around them.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on a lonely character's psychological disintegration. They share a clinical, often unsentimental tone, a steady pacing that builds dread, and a heavy emotional weight derived from witnessing a tragic, destructive arc that feels both disturbing and inevitable.

Claustrophobic social realism movies like Cairo Station

Gritty dramas where a specific, crowded location mirrors social tensions.For viewers who appreciated the gritty, location-driven realism of Cairo Station, this list curates similar movies. Discover other films where a bustling, confined setting amplifies social tensions and personal dramas, creating a powerful and austere cinematic experience.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves intersecting lives within a confined, socially stratified environment. The plot often weaves together a personal story of desire or ambition with a broader commentary on labor, class, or marginalization. The location itself is a character, creating a sense of entrapment as personal and social conflicts collide, usually with a bleak outcome.

Why These Movies?

These films share a specific vibe: an austere, observational style that grounds personal tragedy in a tangible social reality. They are united by an oppressive and claustrophobic mood, a steady, deliberate pacing, and a straightforward complexity that lends their stories a powerful, impactful simplicity.

Unlock the Full Story of Cairo Station

Don't stop at just watching — explore Cairo Station 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 Cairo Station is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Cairo Station Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Cairo Station, 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.

Cairo Station Summary

Cairo Station Timeline

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

Cairo Station Timeline

Cairo Station Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Cairo Station that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Cairo Station Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Cairo Station

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Cairo Station: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Cairo Station

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