Muslim

‘El Houb’ fights for recognition and acceptance

Imagine being forced to live your life completely on others’ terms, never doing what you want, no matter how strong your desire. Sounds pretty dismal, right? Yet, for those in certain communities, that kind of coercion can be an everyday circumstance. The isolation can be positively crushing, removed from what suits you and being forced to pursue your dreams in secret, if at all, for fear of the repercussions. And, in the meantime, you’re likely to find yourself behaving in uncomfortable, unnatural ways, tantamount to living a lie.

Brent Marchant2023-08-02T00:26:14-05:00June 21st, 2023|Conscious Creation, Drama, Foreign, LGBTQ+, Movie Reviews|

‘The Inspection’ showcases what makes a family of choice

Family has long been seen as an institution dictated almost exclusively by bloodline considerations. However, over time, this view has gradually shifted to one where family has become what we make of it. It’s a principle that has assumed many forms, too, based on an array of defining characteristics, some of which have deviated significantly from traditional models. But what’s most important behind this development has been the beneficial impact it has had on many individuals who simply didn’t feel as though they belonged with their blood relatives

Brent Marchant2023-01-27T16:19:59-05:00December 11th, 2022|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|

‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ chillingly instructs us in life’s hard lessons

Some life experiences can involve truly hard pills to swallow. In fact, they can be so arduous to undergo that we may wonder why we’re having to endure such ordeals, especially when they involve elements we find unthinkable.

Brent Marchant2021-05-12T11:56:12-05:00April 21st, 2021|Conscious Creation, Drama, Foreign, Movie Reviews|

‘A Sinner in Mecca’ seeks to unravel an entangled paradox

“A Sinner in Mecca” (2015, 2020 re-release). Cast: Parvez Sharma. Director: Parvez Sharma. Screenplay: Sajid Akbar, Alison Amron and Parvez Sharma. Web site. Trailer. When faced with a paradox, it’s easy to lose hope. Circumstances may seem so inextricably entangled that it appears there’s no way to sort matters out. Indeed, it’s the kind of situation where it seems like only divine intervention can help. And it’s that kind of help that’s being sought by a seriously conflicted individual whose hopes, dreams and aspirations are caught up in a conundrum ostensibly incapable of being unraveled, the subject of the recently re-released documentary, “A Sinner in Mecca.” After the completion of his controversial debut feature, filmmaker Parvez Sharma became a marked [...]

Brent Marchant2020-08-10T14:46:47-05:00June 30th, 2020|Conscious Creation, Documentary, Movie Reviews|

‘Les Misérables’ asks us to examine our intentions

“Les Misérables” (2019). Cast: Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, Djebril Zonga, Issa Perica, Al-Hassan Ly, Steve Tientcheu, Almamy Kanoute, Nizar Ben Fatma, Raymond Lopez, Jeanne Balibar, Fodjé Sissoko. Director: Ladj Ly. Screenplay: Ladj Ly, Giordano Gederlini and Alexis Manenti. Book: Victor Hugo, Les Misérables. Web site. Trailer. Many of us often look upon the world and wonder why it exists in the state that it does. Some elements seem so patently unfair and incapable of being made better. What’s more, the task of rectifying them is so daunting that it appears to be an impossible undertaking, one clearly beyond our abilities. However, if we make the effort to scrutinize the underlying cause of these conditions, it might not be so difficult [...]

Brent Marchant2020-02-25T06:52:16-05:00February 2nd, 2020|Conscious Creation, Drama, Movie Reviews|