In Cairo’s chaotic central station, Qinawi, an impoverished newspaper vendor, develops an infatuation with the free-spirited Hannuma, who dodges the authorities to peddle soft drinks to passengers. When he faces rejection, Qinawi’s obsession becomes dangerous as he falls into a state of insanity.

Strikingly modern, and with a candid erotic charge, Cairo Station is among the most celebrated of Youssef Chahine’s features. Starring the great filmmaker himself as a disturbed loner on a collision-course with violence, what begins with shades of Fellini soon morphs into an expressionist nightmare.