Jinn

A gorgeous story of a young woman figuring out how to live within her own fire- with all the joy and perils of following its heat and light-- as her mother newly finds refuge in the heart of Islam and draws her onto its path. A bright and tender main character, beautifully portrayed by the actor, is caught in the dissonance between her new religion and the modern world of social media, and the end of her adolescence, with its equal longing for childhood acceptance and adult independence. This movie is sweetly human and quietly optimistic.

This movie challenges what religion is. Faith vs Religion. Faith is what this young girl is exploring right from the start of her spiritual journey. Not the norm. Religion is the three headed monster she's up against. Although it has a good coming of age plot, I feel the greater good is found in what the parent character learns. True, religious practice provides a consistent element to life, you can't expect someone new to this world to grasp the holiness or wisdom of conformity.

This is not a simple story, well I guess it is, but it has so many subtle issues weaving in and out and the characters are so understandable and real and all living their real lives. I cried during the film, but not sure why.. maybe it made me feel for the trivial things that an adolescent girl was going through, through the eyes of that girl such that they were no longer trivial, but engulfing. Yep, there's Islam, but it is neither promoting nor derrogating it, nor even making a religious point.. just showing that we're all navigating our way through various thoughts and feelings. A beautiful cast, with acting that just fit the story effortlessly. So real and sensitive to the love that each of us bear in our heart. I'm sure the pace, filmography, score and acting all played into this brilliant subtle and touching film. I can't say at times it seemed slow, but it was just part of how we felt these people's lives. If Tyler Perry was an intellectual genius, and had an artistic film crew, maybe he could have made something similar to this, but really, this is a unique director who I'll look out for in the future. Thanks for the experience.

About a girl transitioning into a muslim lifestyle after her mom converts to Islam. typical family drama that delves into relationships highlighting her insecurities, trials and tribulation.

This story is a fresh coming of age story that I've been waiting for! It meant so much to see a young woman of color go through these complex challenges with identity and yet still see her beauty inside and out be highlighted throughout the film! I greatly recommend for everyone to see this film, especially young women of color. This film is for you.