The best thing about the self-congratulatory parade that is the film industry’s award season, is the spotlight that is sometimes shone upon a well-deserving independent film. One rare little gem is Amreeka, writer/director Cherien Dabis’ feature debut. After capturing all sorts of buzz at last year’s Sundance Festival, the film played the art house circuit in cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago and has already been relegated–without enough fanfare–to DVD. Amreeka’s two Independent Spirit Award nominations–for Best Feature and Best Lead Actress (Nisreen Faour)–should help foster a bigger audience for this film filled with charm and authentic human spirit.
Faour– in a riveting performance– stars as Muna Farah a Palestinian divorcee with a 16 year old son and a new American Visa. Despite the arduous life in occupation, navigating Israeli checkpoints on her daily sojourn from work to shopping and home, and the humiliation of running into the younger, thinner woman her husband abandoned her for, Muna is reluctant to leave her mother and the only life she knows. Egged on by her restless son Fadi–who seeks educational opportunities in the promised land– she agrees to move to suburban Illinois to live with her sister and her family. And so the adventure for mother and son begins.
From the the perils of Customs–where the cookie jar filled with her life savings is confiscated–to job hunting and facing prejudice, Muna and Fadi are immersed in the realities of the immigrant experience. Set in 2003, shortly, after the Iraq invasion, Muna and Fadi aren’t the only ones confronting difficulties. Her sister Raghda (Hiam Abbass) and her husband, a Palestinian doctor (Yussuf Abuwarda) are dealing with financial and marital strains as his medical practice suffers in the wake of the anti-Muslim wave sweeping across America. Patients are dropping like flies, money is tight and Muna, who has a college degree and worked for ten years in a bank, can’t secure suitable employment. The only job she lands is one flipping burgers at a White Castle. But her pride has her working at a fabricated job at the bank next door. Dabis deftly underscores this humiliation–and many others–with humor and a buoyant optimism. And in the hands of the instantly lovable Faour, the audience laughs and cries with Muna, rooting for her all the way.
Fadi (the likable Melkar Muallem) has his own travails, maneuvering the blackboard jungle that is American high school. Horrified to discover Fadi’s pleated pants, which make him look “so F.O.B”( fresh off the boat), his cousin Salma ( the lovely Alia Shawkwat) becomes his wardrobe mentor, tour guide, and fast best friend, helping him adjust to teenage life. No easy task. Classmates taunt him, calling him “Osama” and luring him into schoolyard scuffles.
The sympathetic Jewish principal, Mr. Novatski ( Joseph Ziegler) comes to his rescue on more than one occasion, including an overblown incident involving the police. Mr. Novatski takes a liking to Muna, too, and they forge a friendship that is as sweet as it is unlikely. Don’t expect a happy, sappy ending. But one that leaves you hopeful for all that is yet to come.
A win for Faour could do for Amreeka what Melissa Leo’s Spirit Award ( and surprising, but well-deserved Oscar nomination) did for Frozen River last year. There’s tough competition in both categories. The feature favorite is obvioulsy Precious, though there’s some inexplicable love for (500) Days of Summer. The other nominees are: The Last Station, and Sin Nombre. The Lead Actress competition is also keen with charming Gabourey Sidibe for her acclaimed debut in Precious, Helen Mirren for The Last Station, Gwyneth Paltrow for the powerful, but nearly forgotten, Two Lovers(which also includes a beautiful performance by Joaquin Phoenix, one the actor claims was his last) and Mario Bello’s disturbing and powerful performance in the odd and unnerving Downloading Nancy.
The Independent Spirit Awards–which are televised on the Independent Film Channel–will be handed out on Friday, March 5.
While some find Dabis’ film naive, I think Amreeka’s tone will spirit you on. And it lingers with you, too, clinging to your psyche. Just like the American dream.
Editor’s Note: Please follow Amy Beth Arkawy on Twitter and read her other News Junkie Post articles here. You can also read more on her blog, Radio Graffiti.
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Another excellent write-up. I am looking forward to seeing “Amreeka” from your article. Sounds like a wonderful glance at the immigrant experience.
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