Salama gently, effectively examines the role religion can play in one's life and outlook versus how a secular, more free-thinking existence may offer greater latitude but not always better or happier choices.

[Ahmad] Alfishawy's expressive eyes, the winsome premise and dialogue by writer/director Amr Salama are strong.

Dangles something fun, only to deliver something sober, neither angle well-realized enough to make a satisfying whole.

Free from the judgemental impulses of Western cinema, Sheikh Jackson is both an introspective portrait of the universal struggle of defining one’s own identity and a refreshingly nuanced look at how that experience might play out in the modern Arab world.