Strange title, and I understand the controversy around it. This movie is less about racial slurs (she’s never even shown shown wearing a hijab) than it is about a young girl’s sexual awakening. Sexual coming-of-age stories seem to be Alan Ball’s thing. It’s no coincidence that he wrote and produced American Beauty.
The overt sexuality and irresponsible behavior of the adults are uncomfortable to watch, but the movie is also shot in a clever way. Every scene is shot on a couch, on a bed, in the small room of a suburban house, cooped up in a bathroom, or on a classroom floor. Aside from the occasional news clip on TV or song on the radio, we rarely get a chance to see the larger world that Jasira lives in. It’s claustrophobic.
A very personal performance for Summer Bishil. Given the potentially inflammatory subject matter, I’m surprised at the decent cast that assembled around her. Why did they take this one on? Is being in a movie about racism, adolescent sex, and rape “courageous”? Macdissi’s dialogue is pointed and easy to hate, his irritability and personality seem authentic.
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