Ne me jugez pas

A compelling watch of serious depths. This movie was so intriguing to me and very thought-provoking. It skillfully tackled themes of justice and morality. Beautiful performances, and so masterfully shot and edited. It's refreshing to see these kinds of films from Arab content creators. You can tell there is a lot of effort put into the story and the characters in the film. Thoroughly enjoyed watching it. The cinematography draws you in, capturing raw emotions and the tense atmosphere. Every scene adds meaning to the overall narrative, making it a film worth reflecting on long after watching. Highlt Recommend!

Heartwarming performance, thrilling plot.. Very much recommended. Cannot wait for it to be released in cinemas.

The two main actors delivered a wonderful, intimate and never affected performance. I was thrilled to see how homosexuality is portrayed in Egypt, we need more of such movies.

The film featured in the "Lovers film festival" Turin, I hope this film gets as much visibility as it clearly deserves.

I was very touched by their story, I hope we will see many more movies that give voice to the story of queer people outside of Europe and the United States of America.

Overall a very touching and intimate performance, cannot but recommend it.

I would not have predicted that a screenplay that blends elements of a horror / supernatural genre film with a same-sex love story could work very well as either. But I was pleasantly surprised.

Set in Egypt though largely filmed in Lebanon. The picture is atmospheric and immersive. The scenes intended to provide tension are effectively filmed and provide the suspense expected in a horror movie.

The setting, in a repressive society, puts constraints on the romantic scenes which the actors skillfully handle. The dazzling Junes Zahdi plays the focal character, Mo, with finesse. I was not familiar with him and will be interested so seek out his other work.

When is something sinful, and when is it not? It's hardly a clear-cut matter; what someone might see as perfectly acceptable is utter heresy for someone else, despite the fact that the same issue is up for debate in each of those cases. And it's this question that's explored in writer-director Marwan Mokbel Elessawi's second feature outing about an Egyptian-American gay couple who visit the homeland to handle a family emergency and end up undergoing a frightening, unexpected supernatural experience. One of the partners, Mo (short for Mohammed) (Junes Zahdi), who has spent most of his life in the US and has had little contact with his family for years, is unaccustomed to the lack of tolerance he experiences compared to his life in America. Yet, despite sincere efforts to maintain a low profile, he soon discovers that there may be those who know about his "sinful" secret - and who seek to inflict evil deeds upon him for his allegedly wicked ways, experiences that prompt Mo to question his own behavior. But aren't those gestures perpetrated against him innately as evil as what he's supposedly guilty of? While these acts are served up in the guise of witchcraft, the narrative draws upon them as metaphors for the narrow-mindedness of fanatical religious fundamentalism. These incidents thus place the beleaguered protagonist in a position of having to assess his beliefs about himself and what's unfolding around him, issues that hearken back to his youthful upbringing and prompting him to examine his current behavior. The result is an admirably ambitious effort at exploring the key question raised above. Unfortunately, the picture doesn't address it as clearly as it might have. While this offering starts out strong and finishes well, it stumbles in the middle, getting caught up in an array of confusing story threads that go on too long and ultimately yield more muddle than riddle. Although the film provides a detailed look at the rites and practices of Egyptian witchcraft, there's a definite TMI quality about this that doesn't allow the narrative's symbolic elements to come across as unobstructed as they might have otherwise. I appreciate the sentiment that this one was going for, but it's regrettable that it didn't carry it off as well as it might have. It really is true that less can be more.

The Judgment, by Marwan Mokbel, is much more than just a thriller. It's an exploration of identity, family, and the fear that comes with hiding your true self. The story follows a gay couple (Mo and Hisham) returning to Egypt to visit each other's families, and it captures the intense stress of navigating conservative households, where being yourself isn't always an option.

What really stood out to me was the unique use of witchcraft, motivated by homophobia, as a supernatural element. It felt like a clever way to show the fears and pressures queer people face, while still keeping the thriller aspect intact. But for me, the heart of the film is in the relationships between the sons and their mothers, where Mokbel contrasts acceptance and rejection beautifully. You really feel that he wanted to shine a light on the mother-son dynamic, and it's such a powerful portrayal.

Visually, the film is stunning, with Egypt as the backdrop adding a lot to the eerie, tense atmosphere. The acting was also on point, with both leads (Zahdi and Shahin) delivering strong performances. The Judgment really surprised me with its complexity. It's rare to see a queer thriller with this much emotional depth.