SHEIKH JACKSON (Al Sheikh Jackson) SPEC D: Amr Salama. Egypt. 93 min. Sep 15, 6 pm, Elgin Sep 16, 5:45 pm, Scotiabank 2 Sep 17, 9:30 am, Scotiabank 13. Rating: NNN
Egyptian cleric Khaled (Ahmad Alfishawy) experiences a crisis of faith when he hears about the death of Michael Jackson in this low-key character piece, which is closing this year’s Special Presentations series.
Director/co-writer Salama (On A Day Like Today) juggles past and present as Khaled flashes back to his teen years, where the King of Pop’s music gave his younger self (Ahmed Malek) an identity – and provoked the disapproval of his father (Maged El Kedwany).
Alfishawy and Malek give complementary performances as the two versions of Khaled, and while the story’s ultimately pretty familiar, the religious angle adds some intriguing complications to the usual tropes.
