This is a film I am not quite sure how to react to. It is a character study involving a Muslim cab driver and his sociopath fare from a post-9/11 psychological viewpoint. It is oddly compelling in its buildup, but upon conclusion, I was left scratching my head as to her motives.
Sure, she has her speech, but I wasn't buying it. The proceedings inside her head didn't translate well. I guess I am getting a little bit ahead of myself.
The story starts with a woman, Phoebe, getting into a cab driven by a Muslim. She has him drive her to New Jersey where she cries a bit, displays a slightly unbalanced personality, and scrapes up her ex-husband’s new car with a rock.
The drive time allows for Phoebe to inquire into the life of Ashade, the cabbie. It turns out Ashade is from Syria. His brother, a 10-year Canadian citizen, is being deported to Syria by way of Guantanamo on suspicion of terrorist activities. This news leads to escalating mind games, played by our increasingly bizarre Phoebe.
As the story moves along its destined course, it is revealed that Phoebe is a self-hating woman who felt empowered by the events of 9/11. Now, she is seeking a way to regain that empowerment, therefore finding a way to love herself.
Her mind games play with the genuinely good person that is having his life taken away from him, losing control of his own life at the hands of this invader. This all leads to a climax that is quite disturbing in what it is, and perplexing as to why. It boils down to a woman hiding her own self-hating ways behind the tragedy of 9/11.
As increasingly insane as the story gets, the more compelling the lead actors get. It is an excellent example of the inverse relationship that the quality of performance can have versus the quality of the film as a whole. It is also a tribute to the actual talent possessed by the performers involved.
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Article comments
1 - Bliffle
Too bad you weren't impressed by this movie. You might like the old Fellini film, "La Strada", which I happened to reprise a couple days ago. It has many of the same framing elements, like the pairing of a man and woman on the road, etc.
Try it, you may like it.