The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)

Directed by: Mira Nair
Country: USA / UK / others

Review: The best-seller novel by Mohsin Hamid deserved a better cinematic treatment than that given by one of the most admired Indian film directors of our times, Mira Nair (“Salaam Bombay”, “The Namesake”, “Monsoon Wedding”). Here, American finance and patriotism are mixed with Muslim fundamentalism, but the final result showed an aimless and indistinct point of view. The story is narrated by Changez Khan (Riz Ahmed), an ambitious Pakistani who achieved great success in New York, where he pursued his dream of working in the financial world of Wall Street. Yet, after the 9/11 attacks, his life and his family’s would be turned upside down, when he was accused of having connotations with the terrorists. Even the relationship with his girlfriend Erica (Kate Hudson) started to go in the wrong direction, compelling Khan to abandon a country that he always said he was in love with. Exhibiting a stable pace and exotic music, “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” was weak in its final moments and was never totally satisfying in its whole, despite having been filmed with accuracy. Most of its tense moments were inconsequent and the problematic romance was monotonous, ending up in ridiculous situations. Khan often says that looks can be deceitful, and that is exactly what happened to this film: it looks better than it really is.