Director: Mira Nair, Main Cast: Riz Ahmed, Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland, Kate Hudson, Nelsan Ellis
This is the story of Changez (Ahmed): a young Pakistani man with an American dream. We get to know him through flashbacks of his past while he’s interviewed by Bobby (Schreiber), an american journalist who lives in Pakistan and has dedicated years to know the country and its culture. All seems pretty straightforward: the Pakistani has repented and renounced the Western way of life and now teaches at the university in Lahore, the inquisitive but open minded American wants to hear his version. Well, life (and good fiction!) is much more complicated. Thrown into the mix we have the kidnapping of a American professor who works at Changez’s university, the unrest of the students being abused by the police and a CIA operation to save said professor. I like how the director intertwines the past storyline with the present one with a nice crescendo of tension in both, it moves the plot along in a very effecting way, keeping the viewer invested in the character. Ahmed is a nice surprise, his performance is intense and convincing; good, honest work from the rest of the cast. This film is an interesting take on 9/11 and its consequences from an unusual point of view. Intriguing. —7/10
Ramblings of a cinephile 