Mohammaed is the story of two brothers, the eldest, Mohammed (A stunning Kayvan Novak), has mental difficulties, which puts the pressure on much-younger Adam (Jayden Revri) to look after him on a day when he simply wants to head out and see a film, whilst their mother, Emily (Sophie Thompson), has plenty on for herself. A trip to the bank is the dominant setting for all the neatly-juggled dominoes to fall, and to take a light comic drama and turn it into a fun action movie. It's always a delight to be watching something that hits strong emotional beats with the script, finding honesty, but also takes into account the enjoyment of popcorn cinema and finds ways to lace the ideas and tones/visual themes into a project, and Mohammed is the kind of short with grand ambitions and effective designs to match them. Once the world is carefully established, the dynamics of the leads formed and fused for the audience, the film could take easy directions to hit hollow but effective-enough discussions on mental handicaps, carers, sibling bonds and the importance of family, but casing it in a pseudo- superhero movie (A pseudohero movie?) makes the pieces fit into an exciting tapestry that is carefully constructed so-as to not loose track of the balls of drama juggling in the air, but rather deliver home-runs based on each of the concepts examined in the short time frame, with the use of tension, thrills, big comedic beats and some exceptional dramatic moments that creep up when you're not looking and hit you harder than a Hulk fist.
Mohammed is the director's fourth short film, and as writer as well his voice and style is becoming confident and unique, taking ideas and elements from what has come before and packaging it up in ways as yet not seen, and it's very exciting to think of where the people behind a film like this will go. One of the strongest short films in recent years, the definition of a must-see.
