The Judgment

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.

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.

Wow what an incredible movie. This forbidden gay love story comes as raw as it gets. What an important story to tell! The actors are all phenomenal & the storyline hits you in the middle of your heart. This movie taught me a lot about Lebanon & Egypt's culture and the difficulties to enter a new modern world. It has a slight horror twist wich I was enjoying a lot, it makes the movie much more interesting and unique. I've never seen a film where love, culture, horror, drama and current problematic politics would come together in one movie. Beautifully made, such a high quality treasure.

Must see & get your tissues ready.

It's a nice movie, not what I was really expecting. I liked the movie overall but I didn't find the sinister/witchcraft part was necessary, it actually pulled me out of the movie many time. The movie could have been great if they didn't include that "I am an Egyptian based in Egypt"

I would really say that the last 5 minutes of the movie are priceless, worth the whole movie. That conversation between Mo and Hesham's mother is masterpiece. Such a beautiful lady and such a beautiful character.

The movie is a bit realistic by how the Egyptian society perceives homosexuality but that's not all Egyptians, I would have loved to find a representation for the Egyptians who accepts and supports homosexuality because they exist.

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.