Breaking Fast

Mike Mosallam's 2020 American film follows a practising Muslim gay doctor in West Hollywood putting his life back together after a breakup. Kal, who enters Mo's life, offers to break fast with him through Ramadan, and the relationship is built across those shared evenings. What is interesting is the film's refusal to stage the tension between faith and sexual identity as a crisis: Mo questions neither his belief nor who he is. The romantic comedy template is largely standard here and some dialogue is over-explanatory. Against that, few American films describe a gay Muslim character's relationship with his own community this calmly. Haaz Sleiman's performance is warm and his rapport with Michael Cassidy is convincing. Who it's for: viewers interested in independent romantic comedy and queer Muslim stories. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a narrative that breaks the genre template, or bothered by the script's occasionally instructive tone.