FREESIA

OUT 29 JULY / CERT 12A / 91 MINS DIRECTOR Conor Ibrahiem CAST Afsaneh Dehrouyeh, Aqib Khan, Matthew Thomas, Mouna Albakry

THE FIRST In a trilogy designed to change people’s perceptions of the Islamic faith and culture, director Conor Ibrahiem’s debut film also has much to say about Brexit Britain as a whole. Set in Bradford, a teenage loner (Thomas) becomes indoctrinated by right-wing ideology and stabs a mosque leader, drastically changing the lives of his secular student son, Yusuf (Khan) and eyewitness Khadija (Dehrouyeh). Ibrahiem has a lot to learn about directing, pace and expressing complex ideas as everyday speech, but his ambition can’t be faulted as he attempts to tackle Islamophobia, the north-south divide, the status of women, homelessness and more. A sincere drama that should be seen despite its flaws.