The Nightingale's Prayer

The nightingale's prayer is one of my most favorite Egyptian movies. It's based on a novel by Taha Hussien, who was a famous author in the Arab world. The cast's performance is great and even the soundtrack is breathtaking for me.

 

The story is about two daughters, Amna and Hanady, living with their mother and father in a rural-Bedouin village in Minya. One day, their father is murdered. The village's people, as well as the daughters' uncle, decide to kick them out due to the bad reputation of their father.
"How harsh was the past and how afraid I am of the future!" says Amna.


The daughters with their mother move to the city where they work as servants. Amna works for a rich family, while Hanady works for a single agricultural engineer whose name isn't mentioned during the whole movie. Hanady falls in love with this engineer who seduces her and as a result, she loses her honor. Honor is only related to women in the Arab-Islamic world and it's lost by having sexual relationships outside marriage. The mother tells the uncle about it who decides to take them back to the village. On their way, he stabs Hanady. Amna loses consciousness seeing her sister's murder.

When she wakes up in the village, she asks her mother; "Where's Hanady, Mum?"
Mum: "That was Allah's command."
Amna: "Was it Allah's command or my uncle's?"
Mum: "Your uncle broke his promise about keeping what happened secret but he had already planned the evil murder."
Amna: "You both had evil intentions. You both murdered her."


Later, Amna runs away back to the city. At the same time, her uncle plans for her marriage and he receives her dowry. When he knows that she escaped, he gets angry. By escaping, in their traditions, she brought shame on him so he starts looking for her and his only goal is to kill her. In the city, Amna decides to take revenge for her sister so she goes to work for the engineer. There, she puts poison in a glass of wine for him but when he is about to drink, she throws the glass away. She says to herself: "Why did I do that? Murdering is really a difficult thing to do! How could you dare to do it, uncle? Forgive me, Hanady! I will never be able to kill. Never ever!" Then, she decides to make him fall in love with her as a revenge.


Once, he asked her: 'Did you fall in love before, Amna?"
Amna: "I had a sister who loved once but that love was the reason for her murder."
The engineer: "How come? Tell me!"
Amna: She fell in the trap. And those who lose their honor, their destiny is death."
The engineer: "What did her lover do? Did he let her die?"
Amna: The hunter never thinks of the bird. All he thinks of is his new prey.
The engineer: But she was guilty. Why didn't she maintain her honor?"
Amna: The bird is always guilty while the hunter is innocent."


Day after day, he swallowed the hook and he fell in love with her but she also loved him. One day, he goes fishing in a stream, she brings him a meal. There, he kissed her but she didn't resist. As soon as she realized it, she ran back to home and he followed her.


The engineer: "Amna! What happened was out of our control. I thought my emotions were temporary and would vanish with time. But I was wrong. I love you, Amna and you love me too."
Amna: No, I hate you. And I will keep hating you."
The engineer: You're saying that thinking I'm trying to deceive you! When I hugged you, it was in good faith. You're my first and last love. I can't live without you. Will you marry me? Why are you silent? Do you think I'm fooling you as you used to accuse me I was? Or are you going to say that I'm a master and you're a servant? There's no such thing in love. Answer me, please! Will you marry me?
Amna: Impossible!
The engineer: Why, Amna? Why do you want me to suffer?
Amna: Is it me who makes you suffer? Or you who made us suffer! I came here to hurt you, to see you weak before me, to see the tears of all you had seduced in your eyes. Do you remember when I told you I had a sister that was a victim of love? It was Hanady.
The engineer: Hanady is your sister!
Amna: She was murdered because of what happened between you and her.  My uncle killed her. She who was a victim was killed while you're the guilty living free. You didn't think of her one day! You didn't ask how she was? Where did she disappear? Was she still alive or the ground she was buried under was more merciful to her than you! But why would you think of her? She was a servant. Her life was cheap and her honor had no price.
The engineer: Hanadi is your sister! I wish you had killed me instead of living knowing this fact.
Amna: That was my goal when I arrived here.


The following morning.
The engineer: Don't leave me, Amna! I was thinking of what you told me the whole night. The fact I know is more evil than the darkness I lived in. However, we should stay together. We will not be able to overcome what happened unless we're together.
Amna: Hanady will be always a barrier between us.
The engineer: Don't let the dead turn our lives into hell. Forget the past and think of the future.
Amna: The future came to an end when Hanady died.
The engineer: So you can't forgive me? You're my life, Amna. Your farewell and death are the same for me. If you leave me, it means you still hate me.
Amna: I hate myself because I have failed to take revenge for Hanady. I have also failed myself because I've fallen in love with the person I wanted to hate.
The engineer: I would prefer seeing hatred in your eyes while you're still with me than feeling your love whilst you're leaving me. Please, tell me that you forgive me!
Amna: Take care of yourself, sir!


While she's leaving, she sees her uncle with a gun. She runs to the engineer telling him that her uncle has come to kill her. Her uncle shot her but the engineer took the shot instead and saved her. He said while she was holding him: "This is the happiest moment in my life that I see love in your eyes. My life is the only dowry I can give to make up with you."