After gearing the bulk of her directorial career towards chronicling Indian culture in fantastic films such as The Namesake, Mississippi Masala, and the great Monsoon Wedding, Mira Nair took a big step towards the American mainstream with her Amelia Earhart biopic. Starring the usually reliable Hilary Swank, Amelia turned out to be Nair's least successful venture by far. So it's no surprise that she's turning to more familiar territory with her next film, The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Unfortunately, it hit the festival circuit last year and still doesn't have a lot of buzz around it. Featuring a great cast including Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber, Martin Donovan, and Kiefer Sutherland, the story follows a Pakistani man living in America who sees his perspective on the American Dream altered after 9/11. The attacks drive a wedge between him and his American girlfriend, while the world begins to perceive all like him as a potential enemy.
The newly released trailer goes a long way in explaining why there's not a lot of heat surrounding the film, as it looks like an extremely tough sell. Dealing with the War on Terror and 9/11's repercussions can be done in an exciting way while without losing credibility, as proven by Zero Dark Thirty. The Reluctant Fundamentalist may end up being great, but it looks like a total bore. We'll find out for sure when it opens on April 24th.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist - trailer [HD] (2012) Mira Nair, Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland, Liev Schreiber, Nelsan Ellis, Martin Donovan, Riz Ahmed, Adil Hussain, Ashlyn Henson by myfilm-gr
