American actor, writer and comedian Billy Eichner is releasing a film that features a modern gay love story.
However, because of this, many countries in the Middle East will not be airing it.
What is the controversy around Bros?
Bros follows the budding romance between two men and is said to have several explicit gay sex scenes.
Due to this, many Middle Eastern countries are banning the film from reaching the cinemas.
There is no official confirmation of which countries will be impacted. But it is likely that Bros will not be aired in Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
These countries are well known for heavily censoring LGBTQ+ content across the board.
Banning LGBTQ+ films is not something new for the Middle East.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia banned the Pixar film Lightyear due to a same-sex kiss. And the award-winning film Everything Everywhere All At Once was banned in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for featuring an openly gay character.
Eternals and West Side Story also suffered from bans when they were released.
What is Bros about?
Bros is making box-office history by being the first gay romantic comedy to be made by a major studio and aired in cinemas.
The official summary of Bros is:
‘Bobby is a neurotic podcast host who’s happy to go on Tinder dates and content not to have a serious relationship. That all changes when he meets Aaron, an equally detached lawyer who likes to play the field. Repeatedly drawn to each other, both men begin to show their vulnerable sides as their undeniable attraction turns into something resembling a commitment.’
The film features a knock-out cast, including Luke Macfarlane (Single All the Way), Brock Ciarelli (The Middle), Monica Raymond (Chicago Fire), Bowen Yang (SNL) and Dot-Marie Jones (Glee).
Billy Eichner is not only one of the leads in the film. He also co-wrote it with Nicholas Stoller.