My Brother The Devil

About the film

14-year-old Mo (Fady Elsayed) idolises his charismatic older brother, Rashid (James Floyd). They live together with their Egyptian parents in Hackney, London. Mo is good at school. Rashid knows the codes of the street and is a respected member of the local gang, but his goal is to keep his younger brother out of that world, even if Mo wants to be a part of it. Sally El Hosaini's impressive feature debut paints a lively portrait of a multi-cultural London, filled with youths from different backgrounds, who are all dreaming of the same thing: to look good, earn some money and figure out what friendship, love and sex are all about. She knows her 'boyz n the hood' formulas, but renews them and sends the story in an unexpected direction, when a kiss from a friend (the French Saïd Taghmaoui from 'La Haine') leads to a dramatic identity crisis. 'My Brother the Devil' is a film about masculinity, cultural roots and the struggle for a dignified life but, above all, it is a powerful portrayal of the struggle of two brothers to find themselves and each other. The film won an award for its evocative cinematography at this year's Sundance Film Festival.