Scheich Jackson

Loved everything from the plot itself to the acting to the visuals

Remarkable acting (puts Hollywood/New York to their robotic shame) for this Egyptian produced story of a young boy growing up in 1990s Alexandria, Egypt, and starting out fascinated with Michael Jackson's music & dance (as probably most of the world was). He faces stern (mildly put) control by his father to become an educated devout real man. The movie juxtaposes that experience with his current life as an Iman leading prayers at his mosque. There is dissonance within him as he remembers his youth of dance & music, but under Qur'anic precept loving life is a sin at risk of losing an eternity with God. So, MJ within this person is the fulcrum/tool/vehicle by which the battle between Western culture and Muslim culture is fought.

An excellent film represent the idea of the difference and duality of the Arab world and Muslim personality which is reflected on persona thoughts

I think its marmite, you'll love it or you'll hate it, I liked it a lot but then I like MJ and have also had my share of thus type of religious thinking in my younger days. Its a life story shared over the course of growing through teenage years to adulthood and how western culture can conflict with the eastern culture, though fictional its presented as someones life story and I also like life stories, so its all round enjoyable film for me.

I really liked the story and the concept of Sheikh Jackson. It's a daring film with a bold approach, exploring the tension between deep religious faith and personal identity. That kind of theme is not something you often see in cinema from this region, and it made the film stand out for me.

What's remarkable is how the film treats this inner conflict with empathy. It doesn't mock religion, nor does it glamorize rebellion. Instead, it presents a deeply human experience - the struggle of reconciling who we once were with who we are expected to become.

I think Ahmed El-Fishawy gave a really strong performance. You can feel his confusion, guilt, and longing without him needing to say much. That internal conflict inside him was powerful and believable.

But here's where things started to fall apart for me - the way the film tried to balance realism with surreal, dreamlike moments didn't quite work. The hallucinations of Michael Jackson, which were supposed to show how haunted the character is by his past, felt a bit cheap and awkward. Instead of adding depth, those moments broke the immersion.

Another issue I had was with the way the story developed, especially toward the end. It felt like there were missing justifications, excuses, or reasons - the viewer is almost forced to fill in those gaps, rather than being shown naturally through the story.

So for me, the biggest weakness was in the directing - the translation of what was written into visuals and scenes didn't always land. The emotional core was strong, but the way it was presented on screen didn't fully support it.

Still, I admire the film for what it tried to do. It was brave.