A Powerful New Movie About Gay Muslim Love

In his narrative feature debut El Houb ("The Love"), Dutch-Moroccan director Shariff Nasr tells the story of a gay, Muslim man named Karim (Fahd Larhzaoui). Karim is living his best life in the Netherlands, when his father walks in on him and his boyfriend Kofi (Emmanuel Ohene Boafo). He is made to come out of the closet to his strict Muslim family, but in order to do so, he goes into the closet first. No... literally.

When his mom kicks him out for being gay and telling him that she's worried about what people will say, Karim refuses to change who he is, and also refuses to lose his family over the matter. Instead, he locks himself in the closet and won't leave until his family talks about the issue at hand.

Though directed by Nasr, El Houb is based on Fahd Larhzaoui's own life. The film cuts between the inter-closet discussion, with stories and anecdotes that help tell the story of his growth into the gay man he is. And though it is a story loosely based on its lead's life, the story it tells is unfortunately all too common in the Middle East and North Africa, with Queer Muslims often having only two paths from which to choose: “You either seem to choose for your family or your sexuality.” Nasr's film challenges that dichotomy.

El Houb premiered at Frameline LGBTQ+ Film Festival in San Francisco and has made its way around the international film festival route. No official release dates have been announced, but Nasr is planning a theatrical rollout that will reportedly begin in California.

Take a look and enjoy the absolutely beautiful trailer, as well as the absolutely beautiful men who are in it:

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