Bassam Tariq’s Mogul Mowgli is a gorgeous, deeply moving film about familial expectations, the pursuit of your dreams and your art, and the way chronic illness can bring the forward momentum of your life to a standstill. Tariq slowly introduces surreal imagery and elements throughout the film, creeping into Zed’s everyday experiences – a brilliant and haunting way to visually represent the sense of being unable to trust or control your body anymore. And by layering the push and pull of the father’s faith and his flight into Pakistan during the Partition of India, Tariq adds in rich complexity and nuance to the narrative as the film explores parental support and expectations, ruminating on all that we inherit from our parents – the qualities and traits we find admirable and those we resist. Tariq’s tight framing – the close-ups, pushing Zed out of the frame at times, makes the entire film feel so intimate and raw. Of course, it also helps when the film is anchored by an incredible cast – especially Riz Ahmed, whose performance is so incredibly open and vulnerable. This is a deeply moving film, one that leaves you with more to discover and ponder about disability and family and dreams long after the film has ended.