Ali’s Wedding (2017), directed by Jeffrey Walker

Overwhelmed by the expectations of family and community, Ali tells a lie that compounds into a situation that has him living that lie right up to and including his marriage. This very interesting glimpse of the Muslim experience in Australia gives a warts and all look at life in and around the mosque, with the less appealing aspects glossed over by playing them for broad laughs. Same same but different is the inevitable conclusion. Although warm, engaging and funny, this film does not quite live up to its hype. Some of the music is terrible, the swelling orchestra under every emotional scene overwhelming rather than underpinning the point. The postscript of photos from the real life of Osamah Sami, the film’s writer, producer and star, add a note of authenticity that elevates it beyond an average, if unusual, rom com.