678 is the number of a bus in Cairo taken by one of the three main characters, a devout working-class woman, who one day finds herself fighting back against the perpetual molestation committed against her by the men on the bus. Two other women, one a budding stand-up comic continually harassed in her call centre job, and the other a wealthy one who was raped in the mayhem after a football match, become involved as she rises to national media notoriety for repeated incidents where she stabs molesters in the groin. So does a policeman charged with finding the attacker, and while the female protagonists are well-drawn characters too, representing different strata of society without simplifying them needlessly, his is perhaps the most interesting persona. This is because while there is explicit condemnation of the inherent inequality and sexism of Egyptian society throughout, his overly pragmatic desire to avoid upsetting the apple cart at all costs may be seen as the film's most telling and disheartening political statement on the status quo.
Overall, barring the minor quibble that Cairo is made to feel like a village with all the characters improbably bumping into each other at some point, the film tackles a difficult subject with no small assurance and skill. Naturally, it caused a storm of outrage in Egypt.
7/10
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