El Houb (2023) Film Review
After Karim decides to be true to himself and open up to his parents about who he really is, the only way to deal with the situation is to be locked behind a door. Through a small hole he lives and relives the traumatic moments that made him who he is. He communicates or tries do so. He screams for help while he keeps getting ignored. And when someone hears him, it doesn’t work out the proper way. He’s a queer man who’s forced to be in a closet while trying to make his family understand culture has to change. Out of love, out of respect, out of tolerance. But it needs to change.
Karim’s story is the story of millions of people. They are seen as pariahs of a society who can’t deal with anything beyond the rules it’s created. But in El Houb, the intimate setting is much stronger than we thought. Surely, out of optimism we think Karim’s family will understand he’s the same guy they love. But understanding comes too late, when scars can’t possibly heal and the emotional wound is something to live with.
Shariff Nasr‘s film is beautiful. There’s no other way to put it. This is a journey through a culture of intolerance and religious basics that doesn’t dare to progress and adjust itself to a social standard that isn’t or dirty or disrespectful. Karim’s spirit is broken several times as his models can’t comprehend the idea that he simply likes men and won’t get married to whoever’s been assigned to him. It’s hard to see the beauty, but being true to oneself seems like the essence of our emotional liberty. Yes, he’s behind a closet but he can’t bring himself to extricate himself from his reality to serve his parents’ expectations.
El Houb is a loud and authentic statement that feels like a product of love made with so much passion and heart, that it’s hard to discard it because it isn’t the story of all people. But let’s take queerness out of the equation. When was the last time you sacrificed something you felt for something that followed someone else’s agenda or culture? I’m sure this is more universal. Nasr’s film is a great example of that feeling, where it takes you, and where it can flow into. Sometimes, happiness lies inside you but the world doesn’t understand it. It’s not your fault. It’s theirs. You’re just being the best version of yourself: the one that’s happy, loving who you want and respecting who deserves to be respected.
