DVD Review - Sorry, Haters
This is the most dark and disturbing film I have seen in a long time. Sorry, Haters tries to be a psychological thriller and make a political statement at the same time. And while it doesn't succeed all the time (especially in the political sense) it is fascinating to watch.
Ashade (Abdel Kechiche) is a hard working taxi driver in New York City and he is also a religious Muslim. Back home in Syria he was a chemist but in this country he cannot work in his profession. Ashade's sister-in-law Eloise (who is not Muslim) and her child also live in NYC. Ashade is trying to find ways to get his brother (who is Eloise's husband) to come to the US. His brother was arrested and sent to Guantanamo. Ashade fears that he may have been sent back to Syria where he would be tortured.
One night Ashade picks up a woman named Phoebe (Robin Wright Penn). Right from the start you can tell that there is something wrong with her. She is beyond unhappy. She asks Ashade to drive her to New Jersey and it is there that she scratches the car that belongs to the woman (named Phyllis and played by Sandra Oh) who is responsible for all of her woes. On the way back to the city Phoebe learns about the plight of Ashade's brother and offers to help. I cannot tell you anything else without giving away a piece of the plot. There are a number of twists that I found shocking but I will leave them for you to see for yourselves.
Considering that this film was made on a shoestring budget it looks pretty good. We have writer/director Jeff Stanzler to thank for that as well as the original (but not always credible) screenplay. Wright Penn is outstanding as a woman who is so full of rage against the world as well as herself. This is an awards worthy performance and I hope that she gets an Independent Spirit nomination (because this is a small film and the reviews were not great any Oscar talk is out of the question). Kechiche is also excellent Ashade. He is a really decent human being who just wants to do the right thing.
This is one of the few American films that I have seen that does not portray a Muslim man as a terrorist. My hats off to Stanzler for that. The ending is shocking and I had to sit and think about it for a few minutes. It took me a while to figure out how I felt about this film. What helped me was a special feature on the DVD. There is a round table discussion (which takes place at the Waverly restaurant in NYC) that includes Tim Robbins, Julian Schnabel and Mary Louis Parker among others. After listening to them talk about the film I was more certain about my feelings. Yes, Sorry, Haters is a flawed film but the pluses outweigh the minuses so I recommend this film to those people who want to see something a bit daring.
Ashade (Abdel Kechiche) is a hard working taxi driver in New York City and he is also a religious Muslim. Back home in Syria he was a chemist but in this country he cannot work in his profession. Ashade's sister-in-law Eloise (who is not Muslim) and her child also live in NYC. Ashade is trying to find ways to get his brother (who is Eloise's husband) to come to the US. His brother was arrested and sent to Guantanamo. Ashade fears that he may have been sent back to Syria where he would be tortured.
One night Ashade picks up a woman named Phoebe (Robin Wright Penn). Right from the start you can tell that there is something wrong with her. She is beyond unhappy. She asks Ashade to drive her to New Jersey and it is there that she scratches the car that belongs to the woman (named Phyllis and played by Sandra Oh) who is responsible for all of her woes. On the way back to the city Phoebe learns about the plight of Ashade's brother and offers to help. I cannot tell you anything else without giving away a piece of the plot. There are a number of twists that I found shocking but I will leave them for you to see for yourselves.
Considering that this film was made on a shoestring budget it looks pretty good. We have writer/director Jeff Stanzler to thank for that as well as the original (but not always credible) screenplay. Wright Penn is outstanding as a woman who is so full of rage against the world as well as herself. This is an awards worthy performance and I hope that she gets an Independent Spirit nomination (because this is a small film and the reviews were not great any Oscar talk is out of the question). Kechiche is also excellent Ashade. He is a really decent human being who just wants to do the right thing.
This is one of the few American films that I have seen that does not portray a Muslim man as a terrorist. My hats off to Stanzler for that. The ending is shocking and I had to sit and think about it for a few minutes. It took me a while to figure out how I felt about this film. What helped me was a special feature on the DVD. There is a round table discussion (which takes place at the Waverly restaurant in NYC) that includes Tim Robbins, Julian Schnabel and Mary Louis Parker among others. After listening to them talk about the film I was more certain about my feelings. Yes, Sorry, Haters is a flawed film but the pluses outweigh the minuses so I recommend this film to those people who want to see something a bit daring.
posted by Film Fanatic | 2:29 PM
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