by Eleanor Mannikka
synopsis
In this comic parable of social and political dysfunction, a plane load of roughly a dozen people crash in the desert and find refuge in an oasis. One of the survivors, a businessman (Gamil Ratib), cajoles, cons, and connives his way to power, and once in control, has them do his bidding. He pays his "workers" -- who build his house for him -- as little as he can and punishes them with diminished wages (dates) when they are not producing up to speed. An artist (Ahmed Zaki) tries to organize the workers/passengers into a rebellion but he comes up against a peasant (Hamdi Ahmed) and others who cannot see his point. Revolution appears to be a certainty though, even if the artist initially fails.
