Directed by:
SamirScreenplay:
SamirCast:
Kerry Fox, Ken Bones, Daniel Adegboyega, Hazel O'Connor, Maxim Mehmet, Helen Bradbury, Shervin Alenabi, Christian Skibinski, Farid Elouardi, Zahraa Ghandour (more)Plots(1)
A failed author, a wife in hiding, a clandestine gay IT-specialist meet in an Iraqi café in London. Incited by a radical Sheik, the author’s nephew attacks them and turns their lives upside down. (Locarno Festival)
Reviews (2)
A decent film about Arabs living in London. It focuses on a family where one member is homosexual and the other converts to Islamic extremism under the guidance of a nasty sheikh. The film progresses at a slower pace, but the characters are engaging and the finale is quite intense and properly thrilling. Story***, Action>No, Humor>No, Violence*, Entertainment***, Music***, Visuals***, Atmosphere***, Tension***. 6/10. ()
The director clearly aims to provoke with some pretty bold scenes that would definitely get him in serious trouble in certain Arab countries. It’s a shame, though, that he presents it all in such a detached, cold way, without really letting us connect emotionally to the characters (with a few exceptions). The ending left me feeling a bit more hopeful about the future of the Arab world. Who knows, maybe one day Baghdad will be a hotspot for weekend getaways... :) ()