Jinn (2018 film)


Jinn is a 2018 American drama film written and directed by Nijla Mu'min. Starring Zoe Renee and Simone Missick, it is a coming-of-age story about a Black Muslim teenage girl, Summer, who converts to Islam at her mother's behest. The film premiered at the 2018 South by Southwest Film Festival on March 11, 2018 and received Special Jury Recognition for Writing.

Plot

Los Angeles teenage girl Summer navigates family, friendship, and college admissions after her mother, Jade, converts to Islam and insists that she does the same.

Cast

Jinn is Nijla Mu'min's debut feature film. The film was inspired by Mu'min's experiences growing up in the Bay Area's Black Muslim community. Mu'min was born into a Muslim family. Her father converted to Islam in the 1960s and her mother converted when they married. Actress Simone Missick also was an executive producer for the film.

Release

Jinn premiered at 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

Critical reception

Jinn received positive critical reception. It holds a 95% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 75/100 score on review aggregator Metacritic. Reviewing for The A.V. Club, Katie Rife stated, "It presents Islam, a religion too often demonized in Western media, as a compassionate faith, and the women who practice it as independent and strong." In a review for Variety, Amy Nicholson wrote, "Jinn” is the rare coming-of-age story that doesn’t simply pat kids on the head and tell them they just need to love themselves. Instead, Mu’min holds her characters accountable for the way they discombobulate each other’s lives, while giving them the space to do better, if they can figure out what better is." The New York Times selected the film as a Critic's Pick.

Accolades