Mooz-Lum

We have watched more movies than at any time in our lives and agreed that this one is near the top in terms of acting, content and relevance. Finding engrossing things has always been hit-or-miss but this is hit all the way. They are the kinds of performances I would use to judge others, as in, "Was it as good as _________?"

I think that is a question people should ask themselves.

In interviews, I got the impression from Qasim Basir and Roger Guenveur Smith that this movie would be about prejudice and hatred against Muslims. Which I think is a very important issue especially these days. But while that is part of "Mooz-lum", it seems to me to play a minor role.

The core theme of the movie really are the troubles of this young man with his religious community, where those troubles originate and whether he will overcome them. When Qasim Basir says the movie would appeal to everybody, he automatically sees it from his theistic point of view. Because this movie should indeed appeal to everybody who is faithful and not a bigot - no matter what their faith might be. But if you are against religious institutions, you will probably not enjoy this movie unless you for some reason romanticize Islam. As I said in the beginning: ask yourself whether you would still like it if it was about Christianity. Personally, I cannot stand movies that promote the idea that a certain religion is good, that faith in general is important and that religious communities are great.

Also, the movie at one point makes the argument that sticks and stones really are more harmful than words, calling one of the most awful characters in the movie a "nice guy" - just because he is not violent. I find it reprehensible how lenient people often are with those who cause considerable psychological damage to others.

And from a more "technical" point of view, there are quite a couple of scenes in there that seem over-dramatic, and visually there were rare elements that made it look unprofessional (e.g. cheesy titles design and I am pretty sure there were flat-out mistakes in one or two picture transitions).

What I do give this movie credit for is the fact that it for the most part looks decently shot, that it does tackle the issues of conservatism among religious people, prejudice/hatred against Muslims and a fantastic soundtrack.

So to sum up - if you are "pro-faith" and tolerant, you will probably enjoy this movie. But if you are agnostic/atheist and even though tolerant towards religious people still think that faith is a bad idea - you will probably not enjoy "Mooz-lum".

President Obama said in his 2011 State of the Union Address - "American Muslims are part of the American Family".

Mooz-lum was in theaters less than 1 month from this historic statement. A story about a yong Muslim boy Tariq (Evan Ross) growing up as a Muslim in America. We experience his challenges, his rebellion and most of all his emotional struggle in accepting the religion that he was born into while living in the country that sometimes reject and ridicule it.

I strongly suggest non-Muslims take a leap of understanding the American Family and go see this film. Directed by Qasim "Q" Basir and a star studded cast including Nia Long, Evan Ross, Danny Glover and more.

Not sure why a studio would hype a film that is boring, poorly made and not about anything, glad my date bought the tickets. The acting and directing were especially poor, which was a surprise, Danny Glover is one of my all-time favorites.

Just because a movie is bad does not mean it had a small budget, I doubt this movie had a tiny budget, but it's played off that way to compensate for how bad it is.

If you are looking for a story about the Muslim experience I would recommend reading "Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention", you can probably buy it for the money you would waste if you bought tickets to this crap.

Today is September 11, 2011, a propitious time to view this small scale but important film based on a true story by the writer and director Qasim Basir. It presents in a very underplayed manner the Muslim generation who were also part of the tragedy ten years ago. The film is an excellent reminder of how important it is to view America as a true melting pot, the citizenry of peoples of all races, nationalities, religions - every one who is a part of this country was at one time an immigrant and struggled. It is our history and we need to consider it at all times but especially now.

Tariq (played as a young boy by Jonathan Smith and as a young man by Evan Ross - 23 year old son of artist Diana Ross) is from a strict Muslim family: his father Hassan (Roger Guenveur Smith) wears a thobe and taqiyah and is immersed in his religion and culture while his mother Safiyah (Nia Long) wears traditional Muslim hijabs and body covering garments but is not as strict in her beliefs as Hassan, They also have a daughter Taqua (Kimberley Drummond). Hassan forces Tariq leave home study and to go to a Muslim school much against Safiyah's wishes. At the school he is beaten by a cruel instructor and suffers taunting when he finds interest in a Catholic girl. Time flips ahead and Hassan is driving Tariq to college where Hassan has demanded a Muslim roommate for Tariq - Hamza (Kunal Sharma) who is a traditional Muslim but when Tariq requests his privacy and to be called T, Hamza willingly complies. Tariq is clearly in a state of anxious confusion about who he is and how to deal with the demands of his father and the experiences of his Muslim schooling. He attends a class on World Religions taught by professor Jamal (Dorian Missick) who happens to be Muslim and encourages Tariq to embrace his culture: the professor must face the consequences of his religious beliefs with the Dean of the College (Danny Glover). Tariq falls in with an old friend Cedric (Vladimi Versailles) who lives across the hall in his dorm and Cedric introduces Tariq to alcohol and women. At the height of Tariq's dilemma about his training and discovering who he really is, the September 11, 2001 happens and the campus non-Muslims turn against the Muslims and Tariq must forge his new self image as his beliefs are now openly challenged because of the threat of terrorism. How he settles into his new existence is the manner in which the film ends - in a very subtle and touching way.

The cast is strong, particularly Nia Long and Evan Ross who manage to carry the audience into a place where understanding of differences becomes credible and meaningful. There are flaws in the film - the musical score is created on electronic keyboards resulting in a rather 'budget conscious' demeaning style, certain characters are not fleshed out enough to be believable, and other characters (the non-Muslims enraged after 911) are portrayed as stereotypes. But the message is clear and the film helps the viewer understand the difficulty Muslims and other minorities had immediately after 911 ....and still today. As-Salâm Alaikum, wa-laikum as-Salâm.

Grady Harp