My Brother the Devil is a 2012 British crime drama film written and directed by Sally El Hosaini.

It has won multiple awards, including at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival.

It stars James Floyd, Fady Elsayed and Saïd Taghmaoui. It tells the story of two sons of Egyptian immigrants coming of age in east London. It was released in UK on 9 November 2012 and was in US cinemas from 22 March 2013. Further releases in Canada, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

Plot
Mo (Fady Elsayed) and Rashid "Rash" (James Floyd) are teenage brothers of Egyptian descent living with their parents in Hackney. Elder brother Rash is fiercely protective of Mo, giving him a TV when he does well and encouraging him to stay in school. However Mo begins to want to emulate Rash who works as a low level drug dealer, and is able to use money from his job to pay for small luxuries to make their lives more comfortable.

Mo is robbed by rival gang members while trying to do a drop-off for his brother. He calls Rash and his friends later when he spots the gang members at the corner store near where he lives. The confrontation between Rash's gang and his rival Demon's gang quickly grows violent and after Demon's dog is stabbed Demon retaliates by stabbing and killing Izzi, Rash's best friend.

Rash acquires a gun and plans to shoot Demon in retaliation. He finds Demon at a tattoo parlour but is unable to complete the task after seeing that Demon's little brother is there, wearing the shoes he lifted from Mo. Rash begins to dream of getting out of the gang the way Izzi was planning on doing before he was murdered. He grows close to Sayyid, a French photographer who had been helping Izzi to get legal employment. After he tells Sayyid that he wants to leave the gang Sayyid offers him a job as a photography assistant working with him.

Mo begins to grow jealous of Rash and Sayyid's increasing closeness and the respect that Rash has for him. When he is offered the opportunity to join Rash's gang as a dealer he takes it. In the meantime Sayyid kisses Rashid while they are playing around. Initially repulsed at the idea of kissing another man, Rash tries to go back to his old lifestyle. However he finds himself changed and ends up going back to Sayyid and starting a relationship with him. Mo, growing suspicious that Rash is not in fact working, goes to Sayyid's home to spy and sees the two men undressed and realizes what is going on. Angry at his brother, Mo continues to deal drugs and become further entrenched in Rash's old gang. Eventually Rash finds Mo's money and drugs. He confronts his former friends telling them that he will kill Demon in exchange for them allowing Mo to walk away from the drug business and his family to stay safe and unharmed. Upset that Rash has isolated him from his "family" Mo ends up telling Rash's former girlfriend Vanessa that Rash is gay. She spreads it around the neighbourhood and Rash's former friends give him the address of a house belonging to Demon which is actually a set up so they can kill Rash. However Rash manages to escape from the house.

The day after Rash's escape some of his friends go to Mo and tell him that Rash was hurt killing Demon and is hiding out at Sayyid's place. Mo goes with them but becomes suspicious when he sees plastic gloves, the kind that the gang uses for killings, hanging out of one of the men's pockets. Mo leads his friend to the apartment adjacent to Sayyid's. His friend pulls a gun on the woman who answers the door, and when she screams Rash and Sayyid come running out of his building. Mo ends up taking a bullet for Rash as his former friend gets in the car and runs away.

At the hospital Rash is approached by his parents who tell him that Mo will be okay and ask him to forget about Sayyid and come home. Rash refuses.

Sometime later when Mo has been released from the hospital he is approached by Rash outside the building where he lives. He and Rash have a brief conversation and he tells Rash that the family is fine and he doesn't need to return. After they hug Rash walks off towards his new life.

Cast
James Floyd as Rashid
Saïd Taghmaoui as Sayyid
Fady Elsayed as Mo
 Anthony Welsh as	Izzi
 Amira Ghazalla as	Hanan
 Nasser Memarzia as Abdul-Aziz
 Aymen Hamdouchi as Repo
 Arnold Oceng as	Aj
 Shyam Kelly as Devonte
 McKell David	 
 Zachary Scipio	
 Ryan Townsend	
 Malachi Kirby	
 Kemi Martin	
 Mohammed Mansary	
 Denzel Assiamah	
 Yusra Warsama as	Sonya
 Elarica Johnson as Vanessa

Awards 

The film has received numerous International awards in 2012/13 including:
 Won Best European Film (Europa Cinemas Label Award) at Berlinale
 Won Best Cinematography at Sundance Film Festival
 Won CBA Worldview Sundance Impact Award at Sundance London
 Won Best Newcomer - Sally El Hosaini at BFI London Film Festival
 Won Most Promising Newcomer - Sally El Hosaini at Evening Standard Film Awards
 Won Grand Jury Award at LA Outfest
 Won Audience Award - Annonay Film Festival, France
 Won BIFA for Best Newcomer - James Floyd at British Independent Film Awards
 Won Best Actor - James Floyd at Milan Film Festival
 Won New Vision Award for Cinematography - Manaki Brothers Film Festival, Macedonia
 Honorable Mention Outstanding First Feature, Frameline Film Festival
 Nominated Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival
 Nominated BIFA Douglas Hickox award for Best Debut Film - Sally El Hosaini at British Independent Film Awards
 Nominated Sutherland Trophy (Best First Film) - Sally El Hosaini at BFI London Film Festival
 Nominated Most Promising Newcomer - James Floyd at Evening Standard Film Awards
 Nominated Best Newcomer - Fady Elsayed at BFI London Film Festival

Reception 
It has been critically acclaimed with rave reviews, including:

 The Hollywood Reporter called it "A crackling debut...Slick, muscular, entertaining and emotionally satisfying."
 Empire named it "a compelling gangland saga...crisp, cool and consistently street-smart."
 Variety wrote 'An energetic and imaginative tale...a film that so artfully refuses to surrender to convention.'
 The Independent praised it as 'gritty and gripping'
 The Daily Telegraph called it their 'favourite narrative feature' at Sundance
 Total Film gave it film of the day and placed it in its Top 3 Films at Sundance
 Screen International named it 'a luminous event'

It currently holds an 89% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The critical consensus states that "A tough, tender tale of familial angst with careful attention to detail, My Brother the Devil is a strong debut from director Sally El Hosaini."

References

External links 
 
 
 
 

Category:2012 films
Category:2010s coming-of-age films
Category:2010s crime drama films
Category:2010s gang films
Category:2010s LGBT-related films
Category:LGBT-related coming-of-age films
Category:2010s teen drama films
Category:British coming-of-age films
Category:British crime drama films
Category:British films
Category:British gangster films
Category:British LGBT-related films
Category:British teen drama films
Category:Coming-of-age drama films
Category:English-language films
Category:Films about brothers
Category:Films about dysfunctional families
Category:Films about murderers
Category:British films about revenge
Category:Films set in London
Category:LGBT-related drama films
Category:London Borough of Hackney
Category:British teen LGBT-related films
Category:2012 directorial debut films
My Brother the Devil is a 2012 British crime drama film written and directed by Sally El Hosaini.

It has won multiple awards, including at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival.

It stars James Floyd, Fady Elsayed and Saïd Taghmaoui. It tells the story of two children of Egyptian immigrants coming of age in east London. It was released in UK on 9 November 2012 and was in US cinemas from 22 March 2013. Further releases in Canada, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

Plot
Mo (Fady Elsayed) and Rashida  (Jane Floyd) are teenage siblings of Egyptian descent living with their parents in Hackney. Elder sibling Rashida is fiercely protective of Mo, giving him a TV when he does well and encouraging him to stay in school. However Mo begins to want to emulate Rash who works as a low level drug dealer, and is able to use money from her job to pay for small luxuries to make their lives more comfortable.

Mo is robbed by rival gang members while trying to do a drop-off for his sister. He calls Rashida and her friends later when he spots the gang members at the corner store near where he lives. The confrontation between Rashida's gang and her rival Demon's gang quickly grows violent and after Demon's dog is stabbed Demon retaliates by stabbing and killing Izzi, Rashida's best friend.

Rashida acquires a gun and plans to shoot Demon in retaliation. She finds Demon at a tattoo parlour but is unable to complete the task after seeing that Demon's little brother is there, wearing the shoes he lifted from Mo. Rashida begins to dream of getting out of the gang the way Izzi was planning on doing before he was murdered. She grows close to Sayyid, a French photographer who had been helping Izzi to get legal employment. After she tells Sayyid that she wants to leave the gang Sayyid offers her a job as a photography assistant working with him.

Mo begins to grow jealous of Rashida and Sayyid's increasing closeness and the respect that Rashida has for him. When he is offered the opportunity to join Rashida's gang as a dealer he takes it. In the meantime Sayyid kisses Rashida while they are playing around. Initially repulsed at the idea of kissing a man, Rashida tries to go back to her old lifestyle. However she finds herself changed and ends up going back to Sayyid and starting a relationship with him. Mo, growing suspicious that Rashida is not in fact working, goes to Sayyid's home to spy and sees the two of them undressed and realizes what is going on. Angry at his sister, Mo continues to deal drugs and become further entrenched in Rashida's old gang. Eventually Rashida finds Mo's money and drugs. She confronts her former friends telling them that she will kill Demon in exchange for them allowing Mo to walk away from the drug business and her family to stay safe and unharmed. Upset that Rashida has isolated him from his "family" Mo ends up telling Rashida's former girlfriend Vanessa that Rashida is straight. She spreads it around the neighbourhood and Rashida's former friends give him the address of a house belonging to Demon which is actually a set up so they can kill Rashida. However Rashida manages to escape from the house.

The day after Rashida's escape some of her friends go to Mo and tell him that Rashida was hurt killing Demon and is hiding out at Sayyid's place. Mo goes with them but becomes suspicious when he sees plastic gloves, the kind that the gang uses for killings, hanging out of one of the men's pockets. Mo leads his friend to the apartment adjacent to Sayyid's. His friend pulls a gun on the woman who answers the door, and when she screams Rashida and Sayyid come running out of his building. Mo ends up taking a bullet for Rashida as his former friend gets in the car and runs away.

At the hospital Rashida is approached by her parents who tell him that Mo will be okay and ask her  to forget about Sayyid and come home. Rashida refuses.

Sometime later when Mo has been released from the hospital he is approached by Rashida outside the building where he lives. He and Rashida have a brief conversation and he tells Rashida that the family is fine and she doesn't need to return. After they hug Rashida walks off towards her new life.

Cast
Jane Floyd as Rashida
Saïd Taghmaoui as Sayyid
Fady Elsayed as Mo
Anthony Welsh as Izzi
Amira Ghazalla as Hanan
Nasser Memarzia as Abdul-Aziz
Aymen Hamdouchi as Repo
Arnold Oceng as Aj
Shyam Kelly as Devonte
McKell David
Zachary Scipio
Ryan Townsend
Malachi Kirby
Kemi Martin
Mohammed Mansary
Denzel Assiamah
Yusra Warsama as Sonya
Elarica Johnson as Vanessa

Awards

The film has received numerous International awards in 2012/13 including:
Won Best European Film (Europa Cinemas Label Award) at Berlinale
Won Best Cinematography at Sundance Film Festival
Won CBA Worldview Sundance Impact Award at Sundance London
Won Best Newcomer-Sally El Hosaini at BFI London Film Festival
Won Most Promising Newcomer-Sally El Hosaini at Evening Standard Film Awards
Won Grand Jury Award at LA Outfest
Won Audience Award-Annonay Film Festival, France
Won BIFA for Best Newcomer-James Floyd at British Independent Film Awards
Won Best Actor-James Floyd at Milan Film Festival
Won New Vision Award for Cinematography-Manaki Brothers Film Festival, Macedonia
Honorable Mention Outstanding First Feature, Frameline Film Festival
Nominated Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival
Nominated BIFA Douglas Hickox award for Best Debut Film-Sally El Hosaini at British Independent Film Awards
Nominated Sutherland Trophy (Best First Film)-Sally El Hosaini at BFI London Film Festival
Nominated Most Promising Newcomer-James Floyd at Evening Standard Film Awards
Nominated Best Newcomer-Fady Elsayed at BFI London Film Festival

Reception
It has been critically acclaimed with rave reviews, including:

The Hollywood Reporter called it "A crackling debut ... Slick, muscular, entertaining and emotionally satisfying ."
Empire named it "a compelling gangland saga ... crisp, cool and consistently street-smart ."
Variety wrote'An energetic and imaginative tale ... a film that so artfully refuses to surrender to convention.'
The Independent praised it as'gritty and gripping'
The Daily Telegraph called it their'favourite narrative feature' at Sundance
Total Film gave it film of the day and placed it in its Top 3 Films at Sundance
Screen International named it' a luminous event'

It currently holds an 89 % "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The critical consensus states that "A tough, tender tale of familial angst with careful attention to detail, My Brother the Devil is a strong debut from director Sally El Hosaini ."

References

External links





Category:2012 films
Category:2010s coming-of-age films
Category:2010s crime drama films
Category:2010s gang films
Category:2010s LGBT-related films
Category: LGBT-related coming-of-age films
Category:2010s teen drama films
Category: British coming-of-age films
Category: British crime drama films
Category: British films
Category: British gangster films
Category: British LGBT-related films
Category: British teen drama films
Category: Coming-of-age drama films
Category: English-language films
Category: Films about siblings
Category: Films about dysfunctional families
Category: Films about murderers
Category: British films about revenge
Category: Films set in London
Category: LGBT-related drama films
Category: London Borough of Hackney
Category: British teen LGBT-related films
Category:2012 directorial debut films



