MOGUL MOWGLI

OUT 22 FEBRUARY / CERT 15 / 89 MINS

A quirk in the release schedule means that we get two Riz Ahmed-starring films about musicians struggling with illness in quick succession, alongside Darius Marder’s Sound Of Metal. This is perhaps the stranger of the two, as Ahmed’s Zed, an MC, is struck down by a serious auto-immune disease and experiences strange hallucinations as he struggles to come to terms with his new reality. One moment he’s on top of the world, facing a major new career opportunity; next he is fighting for life and independence. The war in his body also serves as a metaphor for his wider life, torn between the Western culture he has embraced and the heritage he obscures and ignores — until his illness forces him to acknowledge that, too. It’s another brilliant performance from Ahmed, and spotlights director Bassam Tariq as a talent to watch.