Mo, a practicing Muslim living in West Hollywood, is learning to navigate life post heartbreak. Enter Kal, an All-American guy who surprises Mo by offering to break fast with him during the holy month of Ramadan.
Breaking Fast (2020)
Google user:
At times emotional, funny, hilarious and certainly a feel-good movie. The characters are real (for me) and the actings are well rounded. It supposed to shed a different kind of Arab-Moslem family values living in 21st century America (and WeHo). There are certainly some comedic one-liners, especially from the gay BFF character (which is btw is VERY hilarious! Kudos to the actor).
Based on a novel by the award-winning writer Yusuf Yesilöz, Swiss director Mike Mosallam tells a multicultural story of love and emancipation – full of empathy, sensuality and summer feelings. Alongside Swiss Movie Award winner Dimitri Stapfer, the two newcomers Burak Ates and Ecem Aydin shine in their first leading roles.
Imdb user:
The central character is Mo (Mohammed), an Arab-American doctor living in West Hollywood. He is a devout Muslim, but also gay, hangs around the gay community, and is out to his accepting family.
The main action happens over the month of Ramadan, often centered around Iftar, the evening meal that breaks the day’s fast. One year ago, Mo’s boyfriend Hassan broke up with him, bowing to his father’s pressure for him to marry a woman. Skipping the 1st night’s Iftar to go to his best friend’s birthday party, Mo meets Kal (Kal-el), a white actor who grew up on an army base in Jordan, and so speaks Arabic and can cook Arabic food better than Mo. They have an immediate bond over a shared love for Superman.
There is no sex and little nudity in this rom-com, since it is Ramadan, when even an impure thought during the day can spoil the day’s fast. But they gradually learn about each other. A highlight is an argument over whether Allah is responsible for homophobic acts in His name, even if that is not in the Koran.
A minor quibble is that not all the Arabic spoken is translated / subtitled. These are probably bits of little consequence, but curious minds would still like to know.
