Social realism has been stigmatized as a heavy-handed art form—insisting upon a didactic relationship with the reader or viewer. This negative characterization is reductive and does not take into account the many subsets of highly nuanced art, literature, and cinema of this genre. This paper will focus on an exemplar: "Closed Doors," the debut film of Egyptian filmmaker Atef Hetata. The most important feature in social realism is its subject matter—the lives and struggles of the poor and the working class who for centuries were ignored in the world of “high art.” The goal is not to romanticize or glamorize poverty and manual labor, but rather to studiously represent them with a documentary-like accuracy. In this paper I will discuss Hetata’s adoption of many of the techniques and assumptions of literary and cinematic social realism, including his use of what I call: “the political camera.” This camera meticulously represents the gaze of a compassionate, class-conscious narrator who tells a compelling story while condemning an array of social ills in modern-day Egypt. The audience is explicitly invited to eschew what might be called a titillating gaze or an entertaining gaze in order to participate in a socio-political gaze. With its empathetic narration, its attentive focus on local conditions, its well-drawn characterizations, and its linear, tension-building structure—"The Closed Doors" achieves a high degree of artistic success while interrogating Egypt’s flaws and contradictions. Like all convincing political art—"Closed Doors" is anything but formulaic and asks some important questions: what are the attractions of fundamentalism in contemporary Egypt? What are the net results of restrictive social traditions? What ingredients does it take to transform an appealing young man into a bewildered extremist? In this presentation I will use research to contextualize the evolution of this art form and Hetata’s choice to work in this genre. A close analysis of the film’s pivotal scenes will demonstrate that the tragic ending of the film— which some have found to be objectionable and overwrought—is an organic necessity to the demands of his particular project. A careful reading of the socio-political goals of Hetata reveals that only a shocking ending will suffice. I will thus make the argument that in convincing filmmaking—genre is a critical determining factor in cinematic outcomes.