OUR LAD: A Compelling Insight Into A Minority Community
Watch Our Lad here.
Our Lad, brought lovingly to life by director Rachna Suri, is a compelling insight into a British Muslim community and the conflict between two brothers.
The short film stars Shazad Latif (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) as a young Muslim soldier returning from Afghanistan to an antagonistic brother and community. He faces judgmental looks, comments and behaviour. Even though his home town hasn’t changed in the time he was away, its attitude towards him has.
The two young lead actors do a fine job of portraying members of a small community affected by a wider geo-political context. Working with natural dialogue from writer Ishy Din, the conflict is subtle, human, and avoids the melodramatic, on-the-nose writing that so often plagues films of this length.
The effect of present-day politics on British Muslim communities – particularly from the perspective of those within – is not something which is often explored in short films, and as a result Our Lad provides a refreshing break from the typical short horror flicks that usually flood film festivals around the world.
As all good short films should, Our Lad is a story of small brushstrokes that gives an indication of a larger canvas. Something just enough to place questions in the audience’s mind, a hint of something larger – a story indicative of the situation of communities across Britain.
What do you think of Our Lad? Let us know in the comments.
(top image source: Peek Films)
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