Breaking Fast

By: Mary Watkins

Where do I even begin with this review for this movie? When I was asked if I would be interested in reviewing this movie, I said sure. I wasn’t sure what this movie was all about, so I did what any reporter would do and I researched it beforehand. I discovered this film was originally a short film that had been featured at Cannes Film Festival among others. It received such positive feedback that it was turned into a full-length feature film. The movie is written and directed by Mike Mosallam and the focus of the film surrounds a gay Muslim named Mo. Well I’m going to stop you right there. If you give this movie a chance, you won’t regret it. Trust me.

Breaking Fast opens with Mo (Haaz Sleiman) and his family celebrating the Holy month of Ramadan. Mo goes into the bedroom to find his boyfriend Hassan (Patrick Sabongui) sitting on the bed with a concerned look on his face. Mo asks him what is wrong and here we find out that Hassan’s cousin is threatening to oust him as a gay man. Apparently, Hassan is a closeted gay man and his father would not approve. Mo and Hassan are discussing what Hassan should do when Hassan mentions that he needs to go back home and take care of things. Hassan then tells Mo that maybe he should marry a woman just to save face with his father. This immediately causes problems for the couple as Mo’s family is very supportive of him as a gay Muslim and he doesn’t understand why Hassan just doesn’t come clean.

Flash forward to a year and Mo is celebrating Ramadan once again, but this time he is single and hasn’t spoken to Hassan in a year. Hassan went back home and married a woman and Mo has pretty much shut himself out of everything. He goes to work as a doctor, does his Muslim duties and goes to bed. Mo’s life has become a shell of what it used to be, that is until his best friend Sam (Amin El Gamal) invites him to his birthday party. Sam has also invited this guy named John (Christopher J. Hanke) to the party. John shows up with his best friend Kal (Michael Cassidy). By the end of the night, Kal and Mo leave the party to get gum (Kal’s attempt at flirting with a clueless Mo).

So begins a friendship between Kal and Mo that is mostly of Kal flirting with Mo and Mo being clueless. Kal can speak Arabic and knows all about Mo’s religion. So, Kal decides to Break Fast for the whole month of Ramadan. This gives Mo and Ka a chance to get to know each other. Mo is a Muslim who does his best to practice the faith, but is also gay, a doctor and his family is supportive. Kal is a white American who is an actor and his relationship with his family is horrible. They are complete opposites, but during the movie you can tell they bring out the best in each other.

It isn’t until later at a funeral we discover that Hassan has finally came out and is divorcing his wife. This causes so anxiety for Mo because he doesn’t know why Hassan has been trying to contact him. Sam tells Mo that he needs to come clean to Kal about the whole Hassan thing and get it off his chest. So, we cut to the next scene of Kal and Mo cooking dinner when there is a ring at the door. It just happens to be Sam and John coming to crash Break Fast. John, who is clueless about the religion and Ramadan, starts to make light of Mo’s beliefs. All of this somehow turns into how Mo does his best to follow his faith despite being gay. This is the turning point in the film.

We then see Mo arriving at the hospital to discover Kal has a brother in a coma. This all leads to a heated discussion between Kal and Mo about family, religion, how Mo tries to live in a bubble where he only sees good and, ultimately, the relationship between the two of them. Kal confesses he really likes Mo and asks Mo how he feels. Mo doesn’t answer and Kal leaves.

Now while this movie focuses on a lot of touchy subjects, the acting in this film is what sold it. There were times in the film I felt that acting portrayed more of a play vibe then a movie vibe; however, everyone did an outstanding job in this film. Amin El Gamal brought the character of Sam to life. Sam added the comedy needed for this film at the right times, but also being serious when it mattered. Haaz Sleiman turned Mo into someone I feel could be a role model and yet made him need growth as a human, too. Finally, Michael Cassidy did a bang-up job as Kal. He made Kal relatable to everyone. He was tough yet vulnerable. Kal was comedic and passionate. Every performance in this film made you stop and think for a minute what it must be like for that character. I am highly impressed with everyone in the film.

With all that being said, the acting would have been nothing without the directing and writing of the amazing Mike Mosallam. During this film you can tell that it wasn’t just a movie about a gay man. Mosallam took the initiative to show everyone’s perspective. He wrote and directed a movie that pushed people out of their comfort zones as it is a film that shows just because you are the same color, religion and sexuality it doesn’t mean you have the same experience. Watching Breaking Fast, you can see that Mosallam was passionate about this project. The writing had just the right amount of humor mixed with reality. The cinematography was on point with cutting to the right scenes at the right moment. Thus, it didn’t feel like a film that was trying to make a strong in your face statement, but rather one that shows how everyone is unique.

I started out worried Breaking Fast was not going to be very good film since I was familiar with one of the actors in the movie, had never heard of the writer/director and it was a low budget film from a short story. I went into the first ten minutes of the movie wondering when it was going to be over with and ended the movie wishing it was longer. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the film and got into it. Even though the movie has a conclusion, it leaves some things unanswered. However, I am happy with the ending and wouldn’t change the way it was built up. I personally would recommend this film to not only my LGBT friends, but also my straight friends. I feel this is a movie that no matter what your sexuality, religion, or age you can relate to it in some form. Mosallam has said, “My intention is to tell a story that speaks to the nuances of daily life and treats identity: religious, sexual, gender and otherwise, as harmonious lenses by which people interact in the world.” Well, I can tell you that he was able to do exactly all of those things and added a love story just as sweet as Superman and Loris Lane. (Watch the movie and you will understand the reference.) Go watch Breaking Fast out in select theaters as of March 7^th.