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Mistaken
USA 2017
produced by Sharlene Falls (executive) for Bottom of the Net Filmworks, Filmworld Entertainment
directed by Alfred Robbins
starring Nadia Kounda, Chantal Nchako, James Whalen, Paula Rittie, Firas Natour, Jonathan Regier, Lawrence Mullaney, Sarah Dewey, Beau Peregrino, Lashawn Butler, Richard Jackson, Tom Berrigan, Susan Heil, Susan Majek, Star Bunner, John Doty, Samantha Bunner, Julian Bunner, Alexandra Bunner, Paulette Miller, Abderrahmane Oubihem, Nabil Drannek, Nawal Messou, Nadia Hanafi, Aziz Lalej, Oussama Mahmoud, Ezzaim Ardelmajid, Yesina Borade, Omar Mouhammed, Hamid Moualdi, Zakariae Achkour, Lalia Rekia Chaaba, Mustarha Chikar, Samira Hchaika
written by Alfred Robbins, music by Galen Holcomb
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Laila (Nadia Kounda) has pretty much been living the American dream:
Born in Morocco, she has moved to the US to study to become a nurse, has
married a nice American guy, Gary (Jonathan Regier), gotten a nice job and
ultimately citizenship. Sure, the marriage to Gary hasn't worked out, but
that's more to his inability to hold a job and alcoholism than anything
else. But at second try she married Egyptian-born American Mohammed (Firas
Natour), a successful engineer, and before you know it she gets pregnant
with his baby. So everthing's great ... until only a few days after the
9-11 attacks Laila's stopped at the airport and questioned for hours on
end - and torture, really, as her interrogators (Chantal Nchako, James
Whalen) not only fail to take into consideration that she's 6 months
pregnant and thus not feeling too great, they actually use it as a lever
to make her talk ... but talk about what? Laila's only "crime"
really is that her husband's full name is Mohammed Atta, like one of the
terrorists that crashed into the World Trade Center. Now the name's the
same, not the man because Laila's husband is very much alive and still
working as an engineer. But what's facts in a climate of fear and hatred,
and after all the mere fact that Laila is a Muslim (though anything but
devout) makes it easy to blame her for everything ...
Thogh based on a true story, this film is actually much more a
parable on and plea against blind hatred and racism, as the film's
basically saying "this could happen to you" - whatever happens
to the film's protagonist has nothing to do with anything she has done nor
her religion or (original) nationality, she has just been fingered by a
system that's not in her favour, and despite lack of actual rhyme or
reason. And the film goes about this rather powerfully as it does not
actually try to hammer its message home, but stays with its protagonist's
story rather closely and tells it from her point of view, including her
(understandable) lack of understanding what happens to her. And that's
what really makes this movie, that it tells a very personal story in a
very universal way, by letting storytelling rather than message take
center stage, and in the consequence concentrate on characters rather than
preaching. And the outcome, also thanks to a strong cast, is very
beautiful for sure, and make this well worth a watch!
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
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a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by the twisted mind of screenwriter and film reviewer Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
Out now from Amazon!!! |
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