The always interesting Patricia Clarkson in a rare lead role and Egyptian scenery are attractions not to be casually dismissed in “Cairo Time,” a low-key and slow-moving romantic drama from Syrian-Canadian director Ruba Nadda.
Clarkson, who often plays eccentrics in supporting roles, dials it down as Juliette, a middle-aged American magazine editor arriving in Cairo for a vacation with her United Nations employee husband.
She’s met instead by Tareq (Alexander Siddig of “Syriana”), her husband’s friend and former bodyguard.
He explains that her spouse has been delayed indefinitely because of problems at the Palestinian settlement where he’s working.
After getting into some uncomfortable situations as a woman trying to see the city on her own, Juliette takes up the offer of Tareq — a courtly, middle-aged bachelor in semi-retirement who owns a coffee shop — to serve as her tour guide.
Still, she misses her husband and undertakes an abortive, ill-conceived trip to visit him in Gaza.
By the time she returns, this mother of two grown children has come to realize just how neglected she’s been by her workaholic spouse.
In the film’s most charming scene, Tareq takes her on a tour of the Pyramids. They also attend the wedding of his former girlfriend.
As the PG rating hints, this is not a film about marital infidelity — but one about a 50-ish woman who gets an opportunity to reassess her life while escaping her day-to-day routine with a handsome stranger.
Given the rarity of such movies, and such opportunities for an actress like Clarkson, “Cairo Time” earns some indulgence for a pace that Westerners may find languid.