by Brendan Foley
Two Cents
Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 200 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick
Based on a novel written by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid and directed for the screen by acclaimed Indian-America director Mira Nair, the political thriller The Reluctant Fundamentalist shows us a look at the treatment of foreigners in post-911 America from their point of view. The movie bombed, perhaps reinforcing its theme that America isn’t that interested in brown people who don’t look like “us”. Or was its fate simply the effect being not that great of a movie?
With leading man Riz Ahmed (known for strong turns in the likes of Four Lions and Nightcrawler) now standing dead-center in the limelight thanks to his leading role in the rapturously received HBO drama, The Night Of, and with Mira Nair ready to wow us with her new film, The Queen of Katwe, next month, it suddenly seemed like the perfect time to sit down with The Reluctant Fundamentalist and see what it had to say.
We decided to let the Two Cents gang give this film, and its unique perspective, a focus from the Two Cents spotlight.
– Brendan
Did you get a chance to watch along with us this week? Want to recommend a great (or not so great) film for the whole gang to cover? Comment below or post on our Facebook or hit us up on Twitter!
Next Week’s Pick:
With bruising actioner Blood Father now playing in theaters and dropping on VOD platforms next week, as well as the upcoming Hacksaw Ridge headed our way in November, Hollywood and audiences wonder if perhaps it’s time for Mel Gibson to return to the spotlight. He’s had a pretty rough go of it these past few years, appearing in a few films but unable to make a comeback after the public fallout of a drunken, racist tirade in 2010. One of his attempts to relaunch his derailed career was 2012’s Get The Gringo, a grimy and hard-edged Mexico-set prison action film that suffered from its association with the actor and never got a fair shake from audiences. Was it cheated from better recognition? Can you separate art from the artist? Let’s find out with next week’s Two Cents!
– Austin
Would you like to be a guest in next week’s Two Cents column? Simply watch and send your under-200-word review to twocents(at)cinapse.co!
Our Guests
Jaime Burchardt: The Reluctant Fundamentalist, on paper, sounded like a sure thing. Mira Nair (loved Monsoon Wedding) directing a thriller? Yes. That cast? Hell yes. Granted the other players were not as well known to me, but I was still excited. While the film isn’t a bad film whatsoever, it’s not at the potential it probably could’ve reached. The hopeful aspects were indeed solid, with a bonus of it looking damn great. It’s biggest fault, however, lies within the script’s seemingly lack of confidence to tell the whole story it wants to. The runtime seems appropriate for a story like this, one of importance on multiple levels. But because the script’s foundation staggers, and what should’ve felt like satisfying watch had me wondering why this wasn’t shorter. Still worth seeing, though. (@jaimeburchardt)
The Team
Elizabeth: I suggested this because a) Nair is one of my favorite directors, b) her Queen of Katwe comes out later this year, and c) I needed a good excuse to finally watch this film. Before he stunned us in Nightcrawler, Riz Ahmed starred in this 2012 drama/thriller. The tale, with a surprising number of twists, fluctuates between past and present as we learn the true character of Changez (Ahmed).
A few elements reminded me of House of Lies (since Changez starts that sort of career), but most of the film shows Nair’s touch. She does so well at incorporating the right type of song into moments of action (like the opening sequence) or quiet thought — she even threw in “Aaj Mausam Bada Beimaan Hai” (previously used in her Monsoon Wedding), here playing softly during a quick shop scene. This character-driven story brought to mind her thoughtful adaptation of The Namesake.
The casting of Kate Hudson is a weakness; the actress seems to be in a different film from everyone else. But her character provides a couple of the surprises of the plot… her actions could have the most devastating effects to Changez. I was still impressed by the movie. (@elizs)
Justin: Fear ruins the lives of millions and millions of people in this world. Fear can cause men and women to hurt and kill each other. Fear is why there is aggression between nations and why there is war. Fear is the fuel for hate and hate is the fuel for terror, whether delivered by a militant terrorist or a sovereign nation. Fear can destroy a nation. Fear can destroy the world.
An incredible portrait of racism and profiling in post 9/11 America, The Reluctant Fundamentalist focuses on a young man named Changez, a rising star in his corporate valuation firm and a native Pakastani. His struggles with the moral implications of his chosen profession pile up with his experiences of unjust profiling and problems in his relationship with a bohemian artist who is dealing with her own personal issues of love and loss.
Throughout the film, it’s hard not to wrestle with the truth and reality of post 9/11 America. Fear seemingly wins out as the film progresses; it causes good people to make very poor decisions that result in lost relationships and lost lives. However, the battles won by fear are not the final battle, as hope springs eternal through the strong perseverance and strength shown by Changez at the film’s close.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist is powerful and important, perhaps now more than ever. What better time than now to examine the role of fear in our lives, our politics, and our government? (@thepaintedman)
Brendan: The Reluctant Fundamentalist is two distinct films. One is an involving melodrama about a young Pakistani man’s life in America in the wake of 9/11, and the other, the framing device, is a tense spy thriller with secret identities and changing agendas and a race-against-the-clock plot.
The two halves cancel each other out in a way that’s deeply dispiriting the longer the movie goes on for. The framing device robs the body of the film of all tension, and the (pleasantly) glacially paced body of the film detracts from whatever tension Nair is trying to maintain in the framing device. I found myself wishing Nair had just told the story straight through, letting the audience feel poor Changez’s slowly wake up to the brokenness of his world, instead of racing ahead to the end.
The cast is uniformly excellent, with Riz Ahmed exuding movie star gravitas throughout. Liev Schreiber and Kate Hudson turn in strong work on the side, while Kiefer Sutherland is the big surprise of the movie. Sutherland’s playing the furthest possible role from Jack Bauer, and you can all-but hear him sighing in relief at the respite.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist makes some important statements, but I found myself wishing the film around those statements was a little more solid.
(@TheTrueBrendanF)
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