Of God's Men

A depressed young man and his brother try to find their path in life.

After being released from a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt, Saif (Arshad) goes to Birmingham to live with his brother, Ameen (Medley). Ameen accepts Saif into his life and gets him a job in a shoe shop where he also works. Things do not go well though, as Ameen also deals drugs and he becomes frustrated with his brother's behaviour, as he has become deeply religious and quite reserved. Eventually, things will get quite unstable for the two brothers, putting their future and lives at risk.

This is a rather dramatic and downbeat story about the relationship between two brothers who are quite different and the complications that arise by their reunion. Ameen seems to have his life in order and dreams of buying property abroad. The arrival of Saif disrupts all that. Saif is a broken man and it appears that he finds hope in religion and has become a dedicated Muslim, praying often (even during his shifts at the shoe shop, much to the dissatisfaction of the unfriendly manager (Moore)) and becoming involved in the renovation of a mosque. A quiet and antisocial guy, he rarely speaks or communicates and refuses to tell a lie. Eventually, his actions threaten to destroy Ameen's plans and the latter takes drastic action in an attempt to keep things afloat.

Apart from brotherhood, religion is another major theme in this feature and the screenplay appears to explore how people utilise religion in the hope of finding solace and purpose. Saif seems to be on a path of morality, following his religion, supporting a mosque and refusing to be dishonest, in comparison with his brother, who engages in criminal activities and does not follow religion.

Another subject is mental health, which is explored through Saif, a tormented and isolated person who is struggling to find meaning in his existence and attends therapy sessions with a psychiatrist.

There is almost no non-diegetic music throughout, making this a sort of quiet viewing. There is a montage that consists of the main characters and supporting ones breaking the fourth wall. This was obviously used for dramatic effect, however it is unexpected and therefore feels a bit awkward.

This film is a poignant drama about two brothers and it also touches on the crime genre. It explores brotherhood, religion, mental health and the idea of moving on to better things. A slow-burn watch, it creates a great deal of drama thanks to the strong performances by Medley and Arshad and the well crafted screenplay.