Mooz-lum

Bea says: This film was so absorbing and evocative that I could have sat in the cinema all night and watched it unfold. Essentially - for me - a coming of age story, it follows the arrival to college of a young man, Tariq. The background of his difficult childhood/schooldays is provided in flashback, and events hit crisis point as he searches for his missing sister in the terrible days following 9/11.

Although Tariq and his family are muslim, his story of a young person transitioning into adulthood, whose parents' divorce and abusive school has made him question himself and the faith he has been brought up in, has universal relevance. The film portrays a currently very misunderstood faith sensitively and well, and focuses on the complex relationships in the lives of young people. An excellent film - a shame there were only 5 of us in the cinema to experience it. The soundtrack is particularly beautiful - also a shame that the cinema suddenly cut it off at the end to play standard Western style rock music.
****

Cecil says: We had liked the look of this film when it was previewing in cinemas a few months ago, but actually trying to find it playing somewhere in the DC area proved a lot harder than it should have: only one screen, way out in Alexandria, was showing the film. And yet it is a better watch than most of the Oscar nominees (I don't recall it being shortlisted anywhere for tomorrow night's big event...).

The soundtrack is utterly spell-binding. The plot totally believable (except for a couple of moments: one when the vigilante group on campus suddenly change their minds about beating up the muslim kids; and the rather strange hate mail sent by the black school director). The acting really good, especially considering it was a pretty unknown cast - I hadn't even realised that Diana Ross had a son, let alone that he was developing into rather a good actor. And nice to see a new young director producing something this good: watch out for Qasim Basir.

Very moving moments as the family deals with discovering the violence Tariq had to endure at school, and the new threat against all Muslims in the wake of 9/11.

Yes, I enjoyed this film more than most of the other films I have seen this year. Well worth seeing.

***.5