My Brother the Devil (2012)

Sally El-Hossani's low-key film 'My Brother the Devil' tells the story of a family of petty gangsters in contemporary London, and of the difficulties of escaping expectations and obligations. It's hard to say why I didn't like this movie, but the plotting is a bit messy, and I found it very hard to identify with the characters, ordinary young men vying to make their way in the world. Normally, I dislike Hollywood narratives, but this is a film that struggles maybe could have done with one, or alternatively, with the sort of social context that a director like Ken Loach might have provided. As it is, it washed over me, leaving me unengaged.

The review on my MBTD is that it is a very complex tale with on going that drives the narrative forward which reveals the enigma code which reveals the true background of someone from London with a very macho stereotype...misunderstood. Mo and Rashid are Egyptian brothers who are adhering to stereotypes within east London,a very strict personality is needed in order to get along within the drug world.But due to the brothers being a little different than the others this has caused various social and economic issues within their daily lives,for example Mo being shy has allowed him to become more of a push over than his brother,and due to Rashid being bi sexual this has meant he is currently having a identity crisis. These traits have all been put into the film by Sally El Hosaini and resulted in a captivating tale of death,laughter and anger.

in society, there are many contemporary issues within the working class, highly due to the fact of the rise in immigration in the past decade, raising the hostility and prejudices towards those who was not born here. Sally tackles the issue of race extremely well, and deals with the problems within racial and social demographics surrounding homosexuality. she explores the cultural in-differences surrounding it. for example, Mo says that he would rather have a brother that is a terrorist than one who is a homo, which speaks volumes for a minority of Muslim fundamentalists who feel the same, and some more conservative religious viewers who would share the same view, regardless of what religion.this piece also tackles the more social related issues of gang culture and 'roadmen' it explores the vicious circle that many youths today find themselves in, and also demonstrates what is considered the only way out, and the betrayal that people can commit towards you.overall, I did think it was a good film mainly due to the brave and audacious issues raised, however, I do feel that it lacked a certain dramatic edge, and had a weak enigma throughout.

Sometimes hype and award wins does not merit what you are expecting.James Floyd and Fady Elsayed star as brothers of Egyptian descent living in an crime-ridden housing estate in Hackney, London with their parents. Floyd is the older brother who is heavily with the gangland culture of the estate and Elsayed is the younger brother fresh out of school and idolises him.A death of a friend in a gang fight makes old brother reconsider his gang life and looks for a way out while young brother wants a way in.This storyline appears promising but the film unfortunately goes nowhere with its bad acting and boring sub-plots. A sub-plot even throws in a homosexuality storyline out of the air. There is not even any kind of satisfying ending to keep you watching.In conclusion, the film makes a mess of a good idea and I'm baffled at the plaudits it is getting. Being realistic is good but a film has to be entertaining which this isn't.Don't believe the hype.