Egyptian director Youssef Chahine biopic of Arab philosopher Averroes (who lived in Andalusia during the 1100s) is surprisingly compelling, with fine production values, including a lavish color cinematography (this was a co production with France that won awards at the Cannes film festival in 1997). Averroes (played by Nour el Sheriff) is seen in the movie, avant la lettre, as a wise champion of rationality and against fundamentalism. Aside having to fight the intrigue of fundamentalists, he has to do some optical experiments and also has to deal with family problems, a misguided caliph, and Christian troops eager to attack Andalusia. The movie also includes ridiculous but charming musical interludes reminiscent of Indian movies.

The story of this film isn't just about the great philosopher Avveroes, but also about conflicts and misinterpretations, which mostly results to sects, misguided minds, when lies are spread. This movie is also about hope and the power of knowledge and reason, about the light side of life, fun, love, music and peace. I could say that this movie is timeless, because the story reflects on the present time, there are always people who are blinded by misguided knowledge without reason and logic. if u like Arabic music, then you'll love this movie, music is used to fight conflicts, only by the power of words. The director certainly didn't forget the poetic style of storytelling, which is so common in the Arab culture. "ideas have wings, no-one can stop them"