Animals

We see homophobia in three aspects here and each of them has an effect. Firstly the religious homophobia of a conformist immigrant family. This is passive in the main because Brahim is only out to his brother. However the brother's wife has sussed and overreacts in respect of her son.

Then the utter hatred of supposedly straight macho guys taking their restricted society's mores to an extreme. There's a hint here of internalised homophobia too as Brahim recognises one of the guys - but from where? Maybe this was why he got into the car with them unsuspecting of their motives.

The third segment follows one of the men in the car and his life. We see that his father is getting married the day after the incident to another man. Could this explain (but it can't excuse) his part in the events of that terrible night?

The film was based on a real event and in real life the attackers were caught and imprisoned although the film does not concern itself with any consequences.

Searingly difficult to watch and unflinchingly accurate especially in the nuances of the immigrant community (the writer and director is a Muslim) this was a film that remains etched on the memory. And even more so that one knows that the people depicted in the film are true to life and real.