Two delighted eight-year-olds wake up in the middle of the night to excitedly prepare for a birthday party. They might be sisters, or best friends, or cousins. The drama brilliantly demurs in giving us clarity, until the film’s focus settles on Toha (a phenomenal Doha Ramadan), already a maid at such a young age. What unfolds are her poignant experiences as she navigates the dramatic class differences between her own family and that of her employers and their world of privilege. Set in contemporary Cairo, the incomparable Ramadan conveys the force of a little girl’s will to resist the small injustices she does not fully comprehend. Writer-director Sarah Goher’s surprising and heartbreaking film, a beautifully written and photographed story of resilience, will leave you contemplating what it means to grow up too fast when circumstance is the cruelest master of all. —Topiary Landberg
Sarah Goher
As a producer, Sarah Goher’s projects have included Cairo 678 (2010), Clash (2016), Amira (2021), and the Marvel miniseries Moon Knight (2022). She makes her writing and directing debut with Happy Birthday, the winner of three awards at Tribeca, including Best International Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay in an International Narrative Feature, and the Nora Ephron Award.
SARAH GOHER: Writer/Director