Cairo, summer 2013. Two years after the Egyptian revolution and the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, the country is again torn apart by the Muslim Brotherhood, who have come to power in the elections after the military coup. After the removal of Islamist President Morsi, violent riots erupt in the streets. In the chaos, the police arrest a dozen demonstrators of opposing political and religious beliefs. Held in a police van, they spend several hours together, despite their differences.

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In his native Egypt, Mohamed Diab is a well-known activist filmmaker. Gaining notice with 2011’s 678, which took head on the subject of sexual violence against women in Egypt, he continues to draw a brutal portrait of his country in his second film, Clash. Opening the Un Certain Regard program at Cannes, this story has a strength that comes naturally to the subject and context. Uneven as far as its protagonists are concerned, sometimes overly simplistic and a little forced, the film is more convincing in its portrayal of ideological blindness and impasse, and the way it portrays the horror behind closed metal doors. Less vibrant than Dégradé, released last year with fairly similar intentions, but equally as interesting.