Year:  2020

Director:  Mike Mosallam

Rated:  15+

Release:  September 17, 2020

Running time: 92 minutes

Worth: $16.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth

Cast:
Haaz Sleiman, Michael Cassidy, Amin El Gamal, Rula Gardenier, Patrick Sabongui, Veronica Cartwright

Intro:
…along with all the natural sweetness, the realistically flawed characters, and the pleasing matter-of-factness that the gay scene is treated with, it also serves as another example of romance giving a misunderstood cultural perspective a chance to be seen.

Rom-coms may have a reputation for being the critic’s punching bag genre, but their general accessibility isn’t something that should be disregarded. Through all that cliché and trope-laden storytelling, they have the capacity to enlighten audiences in ways that other genres can’t. Whether it’s demystifying cultural norms (Crazy Rich Asians), making outsider notions of romance less intimidating (BDSM in Secretary), or even examining complex sexuality (Chasing Amy), when rom-coms are done right, they can be vehicles for the best kinds of stories.

A romance as informed by Islamic faith as it is by the WeHo gay scene, Breaking Fast tracks the romance between practicing Muslim Mo (Haaz Sleiman) and budding actor Kal (Michael Cassidy). Whether they’re bonding over Superman, famous musicals, or the parameters of Ramadan that serve as the plot’s main framing device, the protagonists are incredibly cute together and add a lot to clarifying how Muslim and non-Muslim relationships – and even Muslim and LGBT identities – aren’t as mutually exclusive as the cliched misconceptions would have us believe.

Indeed, the way that the script goes about depicting Ramadan, a month in the Islamic calendar devoted to fasting and abstention, ends up dispelling many of the surface-level perceptions of the practice. Right from the start, with the film’s explanation of both Ramadan and iftar (a nightly meal that breaks the fast, giving the film its name), it sets out to clear up the mainstream understanding of the faith.



From there, Mo’s intersectionality feels lived in and, in quite possibly the film’s most bracing quality, imperfect. Along with showing that living while Muslim and gay doesn’t make Mo automatically dhaal or zindeeq, it also admits that not every Muslim believes the same thing. It admits the good and the bad that has been committed in Allah’s name, showing a level of realism that a lot of well-meaning but, as the film puts it, “bright-siding” wannabe-allies end up missing. Essentially, the film argues that you can’t have the Last Temptation Of Christ without the God’s Not Dead, and that ignoring one for the sake of the other is theologically dishonest. It’s a showing of thematic maturity that not only adds to the film’s cultural texture, but makes Mo that much more fascinating of a main character.

Not that one needs to stretch to cultural appreciation to truly vibe with this romance, as the lead actors do that more than well enough all on their own. Watching Mo and Kal watch Superman on the big screen is a joy prescription that sells this film as is. It just helps that, along with all the natural sweetness, the realistically flawed characters, and the pleasing matter-of-factness that the gay scene is treated with, it also serves as another example of romance giving a misunderstood cultural perspective a chance to be seen.

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