Sheikh Michael Jackson

A cleric known for weeping and lamenting during prayers has transformed after the death of Michael Jackson—someone he idolized in his youth, dressing like him and dancing like him. During prayers at the mosque, he imagines worshippers dancing together alongside an image resembling Michael Jackson instead of praying. This scene is from the Egyptian film "Sheikh Jackson" directed by Amr Salama; a loud film that premiered as the opening of the first Al-Gouna Film Festival in Egypt and was praised, though it is unclear if it will have a public screening in Egypt or other Arab countries, and if so, how extremists will react. The portrayal of religious extremism and its critique is a familiar topic in cinema, especially in Israeli cinema, where many of its shocking films are about Orthodox Jews (including a masterpiece called "Tikkun" by Avi Mograbi). However, discussions about Islamic extremism often boil down to superficial portrayals of terrorists in Hollywood films, and Arab cinema (as well as Iranian cinema) usually lacks the space to address it. Therefore, "Sheikh Jackson" is one of the first films in the Arab world that directly and candidly critiques Islamic asceticism, turning a blind eye to worldly blessings, and blind worship, placing a well-known cleric who even restricts the internet for his child in a major internal conflict, ultimately reaching a conclusion that is likely not pleasing to Islamists. The film begins with the cleric speaking to a psychologist; a psychologist who we later learn he first asks to wear a hijab. He tells the psychologist that he can no longer cry during prayers. We flash back to his teenage years and his love for Michael Jackson. He has fallen in love with a girl from his classmates and perhaps dresses like this famous American singer to please her and dances like him. On the day this girl wants to give him his first kiss, he flees; in fact, a flight from himself that the film ultimately considers impossible. Instead of kissing this girl and staying with his father—who spends his time drinking wine and being with women—he goes to his uncle, a radical cleric, and soon becomes like him. The film tells the story of a man who, like many extremists, wants to deny and flee from his past. The presence of the past in the present and its connection within this character becomes the main issue of the film. The moment of doubt for this man comes when the radio announces Michael Jackson's death. The filmmaker's perspective on this character could easily have turned the film into a didactic work, but—while the filmmaker's stance is certainly palpable and he does not attempt to remain merely an observer—we encounter a relatively intelligent film that does not intend to be merely provocative with its controversial subject. Although the film's narrative is a classic one that does not show much innovation, the thin line between past and present—and the apparent and internal differences between two completely different characters who are actually one person—are intricately woven together, ultimately creating a third character who can refer back to his past and inner self, see his father after twelve years, and rediscover his Jackson-like clothes. The camera usually maintains a distance, but in several scenes, it intensely engages with the character's inner state; including a scene of his doubt about shaving his beard. However, the film ends with a dance scene; with a clear message against fundamentalism and an attempt to embrace life in today's world with all its dimensions.