Among the misfits is a madman—this in a 1958 Egyptian picture, Cairo Station (seen by me on Netflix). The madman, Qinawi, lusts after women and resorts to violence. He is obsessed with a misfit woman named Hanuma (Hind Rustum), engaged to be married to an aspiring union organizer (Farid Shawqi). Segue here to the subject of people in the Fifties trying to liberalize, to reform, Egyptian society. Women too are making demands. But such liberalization cannot prevent isolation and murder: the final shot is of the sad girl separated from her beau. How does society eliminate psychopathology?

Youssef Chahine, who plays Qinawi, directed the film—a busy, flamboyant, remarkably acted, pessimistic one. Plus it has an original screenplay.