I missed this at this years MIFF and was a little perturbed to read some so so reviews, but never one to believe everything one reads, I went to see it anyway. Good thing that everyone has a different opinion as I really enjoyed this.
Written by David Baddiel the film explores the idea of identity and what that means in religion. When a Muslim man finds out he was adopted and was actually born Jewish it throws his life into chaos. Not only does this provide some very funny moments as he explores Jewish life by befriending a neighbour, whilst hiding the truth from his family, but it also presents an entirely fascinating idea. As a non relgious person, I found the idea that you spend your life believing one thing only to come from another amazing. That the film explores this with humour makes it easy viewing, but it also has a message about tolerance and understanding that is played out with subtlety and isn't shoved done our throats.
Omid Djalili does a great job, his portrayal of the man torn between two ideas is natural and funny, without resorting to a stereotype. Excellent writing by Baddiel gives some great moments, many at the expense of faith, and in a way often shows how ridiculous religion is at times. The film fails near the end as a sub plot of an Islamic cleric actually being a 80's pop star falling flat, but otherwise this is a very funny and entertaining film.
More of my reviews at my site iheartfilm.weebly.com
Written by David Baddiel the film explores the idea of identity and what that means in religion. When a Muslim man finds out he was adopted and was actually born Jewish it throws his life into chaos. Not only does this provide some very funny moments as he explores Jewish life by befriending a neighbour, whilst hiding the truth from his family, but it also presents an entirely fascinating idea. As a non relgious person, I found the idea that you spend your life believing one thing only to come from another amazing. That the film explores this with humour makes it easy viewing, but it also has a message about tolerance and understanding that is played out with subtlety and isn't shoved done our throats.
Omid Djalili does a great job, his portrayal of the man torn between two ideas is natural and funny, without resorting to a stereotype. Excellent writing by Baddiel gives some great moments, many at the expense of faith, and in a way often shows how ridiculous religion is at times. The film fails near the end as a sub plot of an Islamic cleric actually being a 80's pop star falling flat, but otherwise this is a very funny and entertaining film.
More of my reviews at my site iheartfilm.weebly.com