Archive for the 'reviews' Tag

Painting India on the Silver Screen

First, a lesson in how to make a movie sound cheesy and boring:

The story of how impoverished Indian teen Jamal Malik became a contestant on the Hindi version of “Who Wants to be A Millionaire?” — an endeavor made without prize money in mind, rather, an effort to prove his love for his friend Latika, who is an ardent fan of the show. [imdb]

While that sentence does not misrepresent the movie, Slumdog Millionaire is far more than a romantic game show appearance. Rooted in the escapism that is typical in Bollywood cinema, the story is a deep one that uses Jamal’s rags-to-riches appearance on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as a framework from which to explore not only his incredible story as an impoverished orphan from the slums of Mumbai, but also the ups and downs of life in poverty.

Over the course of two hours, we follow the stories of Jamal, his brother Saleem, and love interest Latika, and witness their encounters with everything that life brings them, including Amitabh Bachchan, religious tensions, police brutality, child exploitation, urban gangs, and love. What’s most striking is that these individually believable microstories combine to paint a refreshingly realistic portrait of India, even though stepping back to the big picture reveals an unbelievable fairy tale.

Much as Gregory David Roberts did with his writing in Shantaram, director Danny Boyle brings the energy of Mumbai and all of India to life with brilliant cinematography, an excellent cast, and a surprisingly great soundtrack by AR Rahman and MIA.

Experiencing India through their eyes is fully enjoyable and humbling. If you don’t want to take my word for it, take a look at what just about everyone else has to say.

December 4, 2008 | no comments | tags: , , , , ,

Reflections on “Murder in Amsterdam”

At some point in each of its seasons, 24 has done a excellent job in showing what the US might look like as its population retaliates against a certain segment of people, which usually turns out to be the American Muslim community. Questions regarding Fox’s accuracy and biases aside, Ian Buruma seems to have done the same, except that in this case, the scenario is real.

Buruma effectively illustrates the shocked response to the murder of Theo van Gogh as a juxtaposition against Amsterdam’s philosophy of pragmatic tolerance. The discussion of this particular incident is supplemented by a narration of many immigrants in Amsterdam, allowing for many sides of the discussion to be seen by readers.

The book did a good job of drawing a picture of the current state in the Netherlands and Europe with regards to public sentiment towards immigrant communities. Since this is very much a current issue, one is left with a sense of incompleteness, as there remains a lot to be said. I learned quite a bit, and would recommend it for anyone interested in the issue.

May 23, 2007 | no comments | tags: , , ,

Tolerance and Submission

In preparation for my study abroad journey to Amsterdam this summer, I will be posting on topics relevant to the trip, specifically looking at Dutch culture and pragmatic tolerance. This marks the first post in a series of what I hope to be many.

A viewing of Submission, a short film written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and directed by Theo van Gogh, evokes many responses. The film, while not very artistically stimulating, details the story of a young Muslim woman who was married by her parents through arranged marriage to a man she felt no attachment to. She elaborates, in an inquisitive prayer to Allah, explaining how she had loved in secret prior to the marriage, and is now subject to beatings by her husband and rape by her uncle. While attributing her tolerance to the trust required by Islam, she cannot help but feel alone – upon seeking help from her parents, she is told not to challenge the honor of her relatives.

Critics of this film challenge it as provocative, polarizing, insulting, and misrepresentative of Islam. In fact, Theo van Gogh was murdered months after Submission’s release in 2004, and a letter pinned to his body expressed anger at Hirsi Ali’s views against Islam. While this film is surely clear in its feelings regarding the trust called for by the Qur’an, the film transcends Islam, highlighting the problem of domestic abuse and cultural excuses for oppressive societal structures – these are visible throughout society, and are not problems faced only in the Islamic world.

On the other hand, Andrew Stuttaford at the National Review attributes this murder to the Dutch’s tolerant practices:

Mass immigration, of course, played a part in creating the social pathologies that cost Van Gogh his life, but its effects were exacerbated by official Holland’s embrace of multiculturalism, a dogma that made integration impossible and alienation a certainty.

I don’t believe that tolerance carries the certain result of a polarized society. In order for a society to cultivate and be tolerant of a plurality of ideas, it must recognize the point at which one’s personal freedoms are encroached by another and intervene to allow for that system of pragmatic tolerance to thrive.

March 28, 2007 | no comments | tags: , , , ,