Fares

Summary

Fares (2022) is an Egyptian action drama about a working-class man caught in a struggle far larger than his modest circumstances. Fares earns a living at a gas station and tries to get by using the discipline and physical strength developed through his sports background. Although he is not wealthy or socially powerful, he has a strong sense of self-respect and a determination to protect the people close to him. His life changes when he comes into conflict with Rashid El Suwaifi, a successful businessman whose influence, wealth, and ruthless methods allow him to operate above the rules that govern everyone else. What begins as a clash between an ordinary employee and an untouchable figure gradually becomes a tense confrontation involving intimidation, exploitation, and the abuse of power. Fares is forced to decide how far he is willing to go to resist Rashid and whether courage and persistence can overcome the advantages of money and status. Ahmed Safwat leads the film as Fares, bringing a grounded, physically capable presence to a protagonist who is vulnerable without being helpless. Hussein Fahmy plays Rashid El Suwaifi as a polished but threatening antagonist, embodying the confidence of a man accustomed to getting his way. The supporting characters help connect Fares’s personal battle to the wider social world around him, emphasizing the bonds and responsibilities that make his choices more difficult. Alongside its action elements, Fares examines class division, corruption, social injustice, and the precariousness of ordinary working life. The film contrasts Fares’s directness and moral resolve with Rashid’s manipulation and privilege, presenting its central conflict as both a personal feud and a broader contest between dignity and unchecked power. Its appeal lies in the straightforward momentum of its story, while its emotional core comes from the question of whether an individual can preserve his principles when the system seems designed to favor the powerful.