From its opening moments, the world of The Gentlemen is steeped in glorious, high-stakes absurdity. Set in an unnamed Egyptian village over the course of roughly twenty-four hours, the story follows the events that ensue after the death of a prominent local man. As preparations for his burial and the mourning begin, numerous secrets surrounding him and his family come to light, intertwining with other happenings across the village.As dark and sorrowful as death may be in real life, many films approach it with irony. From the moment the father’s death is announced, we witness the ripple effects of his passing on every member of his family, each responding in entirely different ways. Some search for the mutual interests that once tied them to the deceased, others uncover secrets he had kept hidden, and some demand the dues that remain unsettled. Through a tightly crafted screenplay, these intertwining details make it impossible to foresee where events are heading. A “butterfly effect” soon takes hold, as a petty theft committed by three bumbling villagers unexpectedly disrupts the funeral arrangements. The viewer is drawn into a growing sense of suspicion toward every character, waiting for the calamity each might be concealing.  Amid all this, the film remains deeply and unmistakably Egyptian, not only through its setting, which closely resembles many real villages across the country, but also in its keen attention to the subtleties of local customs and traditions. These range from the way people handle crises to the fleeting glance a young woman casts at her former lover’s fiancée. In this absurd night, no one escapes unscathed.Andrew Mohsen