The film ‘El houb’ is about a Dutch-Moroccan family that avoids sensitivesubjects. “It’s a universal love story about a family that has to learn totalk about sensitive topics,” director and screenwriter Shariff Nasr explainsin the statement. movie newspaper. The Moroccan-Dutch Karim, the maincharacter in the film, returns to his parental home in Rotterdam after beingcaught with a man by his father. He tells his family that he likes men, buthis parents ignore his confession.
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The existing image in the MENA community is that as a homosexual you have tochoose between your family and your sexuality. “But what if you want both, ifyou want to combine it?” asks Nasr. “This film was born from that idea. Tobring out a different image, something that we should talk about. I don’tthink there is a film about the MENA community or the Arab community that isabout dialogue. About emotional subjects are often not discussed. Not onlyabout sexual orientation, but also about subjects such as suicide, depressionand mental health in general. Because such topics are not discussed, one doesnot know what the other person thinks. That is not only something of the Arabworld; worldwide there are plenty of countries in which a culture of silencereigns. It was no different in the Netherlands in the past and I still hearharrowing stories from areas here,” said the director and screenwriter.
Yet the film is not an indictment. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want tocondemn or stigmatize. El Houb does not attack the community or the faith, buttells about a family that suddenly has to learn to deal with something.Everyone has their own point of view and that is what has been discussed andunderstood. It’s a kind of onion you’re peeling. Every time there is a newlayer and another layer. Like a psychological drama in which you get to knowthe perspectives and in which even the main character has not yet acceptedhimself.”
Nasr placed his film in the Moroccan-Dutch community and first involvedprotagonist Fahd Larhzaoui in his project, but he also often spoke with TofikDibi to clarify the perspective. “If the interest is genuine, there’s no otherway than a genuine film comes out. As long as you don’t do it as a gimmick,because something is hot or feels ‘exotic’. I know the Arab community insideout. There are definitely differences with the Moroccan community, but a lotis recognizable. I started talking a lot, not only with Fahd and Tofik, butwith dozens of people from the Moroccan community, to get everything asauthentic as possible and fact-checked. The actors also got a say in thescript and because of that it has become a very original story. Can I tell astory about this as a straight? I think so. I don’t think this is necessarilyan lgbtqia+ story, but a universal love story about a family that has to learnto talk about sensitive subjects.”
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Nasr sees his film in the first place as a fervent plea for more dialogue.”Everyone has an opinion ready too quickly. We no longer listen to each other.Social media has greatly reinforced that. No matter how ridiculous youropinion is, you can always find like-minded people on social media. Then youwill soon no longer be ashamed. for a stupid opinion. I also see thispolarization in talk shows where one extreme is often put against the other.Everyone argues, we all don’t know, end of show. In the talk shows of the pastit seemed like the host at the end I wanted to draw some kind of conclusion. Imiss that now. Nobody says: I get your side, I understand your pain, what canwe change? When I watch a talk show these days, nobody is looking for asolution. What we are looking for being is a high pitched argument, ratingsand sensation, and disguised that as a good dialogue. What you see is not adialogue, but two monologues. We then listened to that and then we move onagain. I miss the grayscale and look for it me on i n El Houb. There is a lotbetween the black and white that surrounds us. Only when we really starttalking about it will we ensure a better future.”
El Houb by director Shariff Nasr will have its Dutch premiere on October 10 atKoninklijk Theater Tuschinski in Amsterdam.