Tuesday, June 26, 2007
LSF Review: A Mighty Heart
The story of the kidnapping and murder of journalist Daniel Pearl is the subject of “A Mighty Heart”. The film takes us back to the beginning of 2002 in Pakistan after 9/11 and before the US invasion of Iraq. There is footage of Danny Futterman playing Pearl in scenes sprinkled throughout the film but only scenes that show him working on a story and also with his wife Marianne. Most interesting there are no scenes of him once captured, just the actor shown in the same poses that the kidnapped journalist was in that were released when ransom was demanded. This is laudable for two reasons, because that puts us in the same mindset as the people desperately trying to find him and also doesn’t pretend to know things that can’t be verified by an actual eye-witness that cooperated with the film. It lends an authenticity that is admirable in a large budget film these days.
Based on a book by Marianne Pearl, the film is directed beautifully by Micheal Winterbottom. I’ve been mixed on his work thus far but admire him for a wide range of topics and styles but here he is the wisest choice imaginable. He has filmed this viscerally like a documentary and without sentimentality and still manages to keep a taut pace throughout. You can tell in every frame how they tried to honor the facts of the case and also do a wonderful job showing how much there is to be learned in regards to what transpired. All but about five minutes of the film take place in Pakistan (although it was filmed in India because they were denied entry to the actual locations). This keeps the focus on the case and also on the politics of that region as the events unfold. You see the horror that is kidnapping from both sides, from the terrible kidnapping of Pearl to the treatment of Muslims by the police in Pakistan and also in their detainment in Guantanamo.
This is an incredibly important film because you see how mistakes on all sides have horrible consequences. The history of these actions are a long one and are only getting worse through terrible leadership on all sides. The center of the film is the incredible Marianne Pearl, a woman of faith (Buddhism) who is shown practicing what she preaches. It is a gut wrenching film and you cannot help but greatly admire her. Also admirable is Angelina Jolie who gives a wonderfully natural performace, totally steady and unflinching and most importantly without any movie star pretense. Jolie produced this film as well and chose her actors and director with care and the results are impressive.
It is very sad the film did not do well in its opening weekend despite very good reviews. The public clearly shows they do not want to go through this and yet until we do and gain better understanding the public in general cannot do what is necessary to stop this circular insanity. We must break the chain of revenge and dominance that fuels this and we cannot unless we have both regime change and a thirst for knowledge about why all this is happening in the first place.