Yomeddine’s main character, Beshay, has lived in an Egyptian leper colony since childhood and now—cured of the disease and recently widowed—he heads off in search of his roots. With his meager possessions strapped to a donkey cart and a Nubian orphan for company, he encounters the world with all its sorrows, hardships, and moments of grace. This charming road movie, which was a prizewinner at Cannes and Egypt’s submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, culminates in friendship and a moving acceptance of the infinite variety of human appearances.