The Judgment

Mo and Hisham have built a comfortable life together in the United States, far from the scrutiny of Mo's family in Alexandria. When a family emergency calls them back to Egypt, the couple must slip back into secrecy, presenting themselves as friends while Mo's mother, unaware of the truth, warms to Hisham. Then strange things begin to happen. Mo becomes convinced that witchcraft has been turned against them as punishment for their relationship, and the atheist he became abroad gives way to a man consumed by religious terror and by the trauma of a past he never confronted. Writer-director Marwan Mokbel blends piercing family drama with supernatural horror, using genre to examine internalized homophobia, faith, and shame. Junes Zahdi stars as Mo, with Freddy Shahin as Hisham and Samara Nohra as his mother. The film screened at Frameline and at OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival.