Mo (Junes Zahdi) and Hisham (Freddy Shahin) are two gay Egyptian men in a relationship with one another. That hasn't been such a problem for them during their time in America, but it becomes more difficult when they have to return to Egypt to deal with some family matters. Aside from the usual side-eyes and threats, Mo is also worried about someone targeting him with actual witchcraft because of his sexuality.
The second feature film written and directed by Marwan Mokbel, this has a confidence and sensitivity to it that makes it feel like a much more personal project than his previous outing, a very generic-looking horror movie called You Will Kill AKA Ouija Summoning. What you have here is the kind of film that hopes to convey even just a fraction of the fear and unease that can affect people being judged just because of who they happen to love. While it makes use of certain Egyptian cultural elements, what surprised me most about The Judgment is how easily it could have been located in almost any country in the world. Everywhere has homophobes, and everywhere has older practices (witchcraft) that can be used to hassle and frighten those who still believe in them.
Zahdi and Shahin are very good in the lead roles, the former usually shown to be the more nervy and insecure of the two. The film needs their performances at the heart of it, although it's essentially about ideas that are so much more than just these two people. It's about the constant battle between the past and the present, it's about prejudice, and it's about the many small ways in which we can make life better or worse for people we don't need to know intimately. As the title states, it's also about judgment, be it from others or some ongoing self-judgment.
This may not be a typical horror movie, but it's impressive that Mokbel makes the sunny and hot streets of Egypt feel dangerous and creepy. As Mo starts to feel stalked by someone, it feels as if there's a growing supernatural presence that could reach out for him at any moment. Yes, this is partially due to his own nervousness, but that doesn't make it any less of a danger, especially when other encounters show just how hostile others can become when they see people in a relationship they disapprove of.
Something stopped me from loving this though, and I have to be clear about that here. I know I've given it a fair bit of praise, and all of it deserved, but the 111-minute runtime drags in places, there are a few scenes that needed something extra to add to the weight of them, and the third act was a bit underwhelming. I know that others didn't have those criticisms, considering the love I saw it receiving just after it screened at a film festival a few weeks ago, but there were enough minor failings here and there to stop it from being truly great. For me.
7/10
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