The comedy and sorrow of the refugee experience are explored in Mo Amer’s Netflix series “Mo”: NPR

Mohammed Amer, a Palestinian American comedian, is the star of Mo, a brand-new Netflix comedy premiering on Wednesday. Netflix hide caption 2022
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Mohammed Amer, a Palestinian American comedian, is the star of Mo, a brand-new Netflix comedy premiering on Wednesday.

YouTube 2022 Mohammed Amer, a comedian, claims to have had this narrative in his head for twenty years and began writing it nine years ago. Mo will now be available on Netflix on Wednesday.

The program, which Amer and Ramy Youssef jointly devised, takes an almost autobiographical look at the anguish of uprooting. In the 1940s, Amer’s family was compelled to relocate from their house to another area in Palestine. During the Gulf War in the 1990s, they were relocated once more, first to Kuwait and then once more. He and his family were refugees who eventually settled in a Houston suburb.

“It refers to statelessness in the second generation, correct? Additionally, the consequences of being stateless “He spoke with Morning Edition

Amer finds both humor and tragedy in the story of his family. As his character makes his way through the asylum procedure in the United States over the course of 20 years, he investigates the ways in which the traumas that result from being driven from your native country by war and occupation are passed down.

“Once your asylum request is approved, you’re just out there, with no home on paper,” the man stated. “A person like that wants nothing more than to feel like they belong, are seen, and are on par with their other human counterparts.”

His character is unable to legally work while his immigration status is uncertain. He is undocumented. To help his family, he turns to working undercover and selling imitation designer products. He eventually develops a codeine addiction as a result of having to receive treatment for a gunshot wound at a tattoo parlor without health insurance.

Amer, the show’s star, is quick to point out that the addiction to codeine is untrue. This story, which is based on his life, contains many theatrical flourishes for humorous or storytelling purposes.

The program examines issues that can characterize American life, such as gun violence, a faulty healthcare system, and an unjust immigration system that forces people to break the law.

“It’s terrible. It’s terribly sad. Trying to be a good citizen nearly drives you to engage in unlawful activity “explained he.
The suburb of Houston where Amer grew up serves as the setting for this dramedy.
80 different languages are spoken there, making Alief one of America’s most ethnically diverse areas, he claimed.

Amer only wanted to film this story in Houston. He wanted the program to have a “urban western” aesthetic. The city is unique, with a vibrant mixture of cultures and tongues.

He declared, “Houston is fantastic and has long been an exporter of brilliant talents. “There’s definitely something about that water there.”

Maria, Mo’s girlfriend, is portrayed by Teresa Ruiz in the program. Netflix hide caption 2022
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2022 Maria, Mo’s girlfriend, is portrayed by Teresa Ruiz in the program.

YouTube 2022 Mo highlights those Houston celebrities. Rapper Tobe Nwigwe from Nigerian America plays the best buddy of Amer’s character, Mo Najjar. Rappers Paul Wall and Bun B both make brief appearances as courthouse security guards and priests, respectively.

Amer’s roots as a Palestinian, Houstonian, American, and Muslim are all very evident. His persona walks around with a tiny glass bottle of olive oil from Palestine. He’s on a mission to stop the terrible things that are being done to hummus in the United States, including chocolate hummus, which he terms “a war crime.”

He flawlessly transitions between a Texas drawl, Spanish, and Arabic. He plays hip-hop music loudly in his automobile, beams with pride at a friend’s wedding’s Zaffa (custom wedding procession), and sobs when reciting a Muslim prayer at his father’s tomb.

It’s simultaneously terrible, funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking.

Iframe address: https://www.npr.org/player/embed/672758694/672758695; andlt; width=”100%” height=”290″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no” NPR audio player embedded title While Amer’s narrative is unique to a Palestinian family living in Houston, it nevertheless has a global appeal.

He discussed telling their family’s narrative with his mother before he began writing the program. He questioned her further about his family’s struggles, particularly the things she shielded him from as a child. But before doing so, he gave a justification for wanting to portray that for a worldwide audience.

“”Millions of people will be able to identify with this, and it can inspire them to lead better lives.” Additionally, even who have not experienced it might identify to it and feel empathy for it “He described informing his mother. “After we had that discussion, she just started to open up fully. It was amazing to learn about this woman’s fortitude and to gain a deeper understanding of my family, our history, and what has shaped who we are today.”

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