Within twenty minutes of the film's beginning, I was in agony, but I didn't necessarily think my discomfort was due to bad film-making. It was extremely uncomfortable to see this woman go through mundane activities in a hotel room, without any music or distraction, knowing what the film would be about. That style of cinematography really made me feel as though I was "inside" the girl's experience and feeling as she felt. I even had to pause it a few times in order to regroup. The scene with the video was hilarious- I laughed so much, partly due to nerves, because I was so relieved to rise above my discomfort and into a moment of blissful absurdity.
But as the movie progressed, it was just more of the same mundanity, and it became less interesting over time. I do not always favor narrative storytelling- but for this film in particular, I wanted to understand her character, where she came from, what happened in her life that drove her to become the person she is. The film is about a very black-and- white, well-defined political subject- a female suicide bomber throughout what is supposed to be the last day of her life. So this story's displacement from personal history (aside from a phone call to family, and a photo of her caucasian brother) feels mismatched. The snippets of her whispered prayers were very interesting, and I wanted more.
I enjoyed the characterizations and mannerisms of the people who loan her change, which were revealing of subtle interpersonal dynamics on the street. Also, the man who harasses her- he is a stereotyped young African American urban male. When she jokes about a "bomb," it is like one stereotype meeting another, and that made me laugh. It is poking fun at stereotypes, though we never see a real person beneath them. I really wanted that realness to show through alongside the mocking.
I eventually found myself fast-forwarding through large chunks of the DVD, and still understanding exactly what was happening. By the end, I was just begging for the film to be over. Although I must say, I really enjoyed (and again, agonized) the way the film ended. I won't give that away, but it really left me wondering.
But as the movie progressed, it was just more of the same mundanity, and it became less interesting over time. I do not always favor narrative storytelling- but for this film in particular, I wanted to understand her character, where she came from, what happened in her life that drove her to become the person she is. The film is about a very black-and- white, well-defined political subject- a female suicide bomber throughout what is supposed to be the last day of her life. So this story's displacement from personal history (aside from a phone call to family, and a photo of her caucasian brother) feels mismatched. The snippets of her whispered prayers were very interesting, and I wanted more.
I enjoyed the characterizations and mannerisms of the people who loan her change, which were revealing of subtle interpersonal dynamics on the street. Also, the man who harasses her- he is a stereotyped young African American urban male. When she jokes about a "bomb," it is like one stereotype meeting another, and that made me laugh. It is poking fun at stereotypes, though we never see a real person beneath them. I really wanted that realness to show through alongside the mocking.
I eventually found myself fast-forwarding through large chunks of the DVD, and still understanding exactly what was happening. By the end, I was just begging for the film to be over. Although I must say, I really enjoyed (and again, agonized) the way the film ended. I won't give that away, but it really left me wondering.
