Genres

Visitors Review

Richard von Busack 2012-05-24 15:28:46

It's good; indeed, it's important.

Rachel Gordon 2012-05-24 03:03:15

While it may play like an after-school special you might have seen during the 1980s on PBS, the emotional struggles portrayed remain digestible, and often thought-provoking.

2012-05-15 11:35:10

CULTURE CLASH...

This is a beautifully actualized film in which an Iranian-American, New Jersey teenager, Maryam (Mariam Parris), gets involved in a head on collision with her cultural past , when her Muslim fundamentalist first cousin, Ali (David Ackert), arrives from Iran to stay with her family in 1979. Though born in Iran, Maryam was a young child when her parents (Shohreh Aghdashloo and Shaun Toub) fled Iran after the fall of the Shah in the nineteen seventies. Consequently, Maryam is culturally American.Ali's visit, coupled with the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979, act as a focal point in the film, as Maryam struggles to reconcile her cultural heritage with world events and everyday, coming-of-age situations, such as first love. All this is complicated further by Ali's strong fundamentalist views. Ali's presence also brings to the forefront a tragic family secret that has been lying dormant.This film is deftly directed by Ramin Serry, and the stellar cast give superlative performances. Mariam Parris is a complete natural before the camera, giving a relaxed, yet compelling and mature performance, infusing her character with just the right amount of insouciance. David Ackert is superb as the culturally challenged Ali. Shaun Toub and Shohreh Aghdashloo are terrific as the strict parents of a teenage girl who is coming of age in a country that is not culturally their own. This cinematic gem is well worth watching for those who are interested in other cultures or who just enjoy a very good film.

J. M. Verville 2012-05-14 19:15:57

Falling Short of the Bar

This was a film characterized by being there, by being interesting, andby holding your attention -- but giving you false expectations ofanything more. Overall, the film was a decent watch, but it leftsomething lacking and something a bit unfulfilling in you. This film's story has great potential, and from the beginning you couldsee it building up (in spite of often mediocre acting & filmingreminiscent of bad 'made-for-TV movies') but in the end the story doesnot get anywhere near as provocative or startling as it could be. Thereare, of course, worthwhile moments as in any film that tackles similarissues, but it was not done in a way that makes one think or be movedby whats' going on; it does it very matter-of-factly and oftenseemingly without the proper emotions running high. It seems veryanticlimactic at moments, and very cold. It is like the firework thatmakes the big bang but the streams of color are just not there. Throughout the entirety of the film I am awaiting for an explosion ofshock & intrigue, a moment of cinema excellence to rear its' head andenrapture me and devour my senses, but in the end you do not get this:you get a mere solid story that slowly progresses, has very smallclimactic points, and leaves you slightly disappointed.It is a decent slice of life film, and it is true in its' portrayalsand good effort is put into it by Ramin Serry. I must say that I waspleased with much of the film, and that it was in fact a decent watch,but it certainly was not anything that truly grabs or moves you. And soas a result I can only say that it is a film that is an easy, lightwatch, and that if you should see it, not to expect anything big oramazing as one might expect. Rather, it is what it is, and what it isis nothing amazing.

Mike Weston 2012-05-05 03:53:32

3.5 stars

The year is 1979. There are lines at the gas stations and a revolution inIran. As the film opens, we see archival news footage from the latter storyas the soundtrack plays "Good Times Roll" by The Cars. We meet Maryam(Mariam Parris), who is a high school senior in New Jersey. She was born inIran, but knows almost nothing of that culture. She is the anchor for theschool television news program, goes by the name Mary at school, andgenerally seems comfortable in her life, although her parents are a littlemore strict than most.Soon she learns that her cousin Ali (David Ackert) is coming from Iran tolive with the family and attend a local university. Ali's father died yearsago, and his mother recently died as well. When he arrives, he seems veryuncomfortable with American life -- people (even women!) shake hands, dance,and do all sorts of things that Ali is used to thinking of as immoral in hisnative, Ayatollah Khomeini-controlled country. Ali thinks the Ayatollah hasbeen a *good* change for Iran, and that the deposed Shah is evil. Maryam'sreply is that the Ayatollah "calls the U.S. the Great Satan. I mean, the guycould lighten up a little."The key characters in the film are Maryam and Ali. I thought Parris wasoutstanding in the former role, showing both emotion and typical high schoolirreverence with equal skill. Ackert was harder to judge, but he did make mebelieve that Ali was *very* uncomfortable with most of what he saw ofAmerica, and I can't recall any sour notes in his performance, so it was atleast acceptable. The remaining actors, especially Maryam's parents, wereless developed but also quite believable.The writing, direction, cinematography, and so on were also quite good, butwhat really sets this film apart is the way that it shows how hateful andintolerant American society can be. Especially after the American embassyhostages are taken, almost everyone becomes very cold to the entire family-- the militant Islamic Ali as well as the totally Americanized Maryam --regardless of past friendships. Because we have had the opportunity to getto know these Iranians as human beings, the escalating hatred is that muchharder to watch.This film was made well before the events of 9/11, so the obvious parallelsto the current distrust of anyone who looks like he might be Afghani werenot planned. But this film is outstanding in its ability to remind us to seethe person and not the label. See it if you have the chance. Unfortunately,it has closed where I saw it, so you might be forced to wait (and hope) forhome video.Seen on 6/19/2002.

Harvey S. Karten 2012-05-04 14:33:55

A film with contemporary political resonance illustrated by a winning family story.

drice1 2012-04-30 15:19:39

well worth seeing

To begin with, this is not a documentary about SAVAK or the Shah's regime,and, after September 11th, you don't have to be an expert on Iran to getwhat is going on in the movie. It is about a lot of things: growing updifferent, being an American child of immigrants (we get that here inMiami), friendship and how quickly it disappears, family and the clash ofcultures to name just a few. Mariam Parris gives a terrific performance,and the director does a lot with a small budget. However, what you willdefinitely remember most is the fundamentalist cousin from Iran, hisfanaticism and how completely out of place he feels in the US. I happenedto see it in Fort Lauderdale after September 11th, and the film hit a nervewith everyone who saw it, including the director, who was seeing it in anewlight for the first time since 9/11. Ebert was right...take the time to seeit.

Kevin Thomas 2012-04-30 03:38:56

Carefully crafted, notably in its deft dramatic structuring, and has become timely in a way its maker could never have anticipated.

David 2012-04-27 15:43:47

A provocative disappointment

Very disappointing - this could've been great. The story itself hadenormous potential - but at every point where subtlety is called for,the director instead opted to go over the top. The key characters arecarefully introduced early on, and - where the audience should havebeen allowed to gradually get to know them, and learn about them in asomewhat life-like fashion - we are instead told (usually visually,through very slightly exaggerated gestures and mannerisms), in a verydidactic fashion, their strengths and flaws immediately. This isn't badacting - it's talented actors being directed poorly, and I thought itdid a disservice to a great story.**SPOILERS AHEAD**One major gripe: the cultural misunderstanding between Maryam and Ali -established early on - was a bit unreal to me: though Maryam's familywas thoroughly Americanized, it would've been discussed before Ali'sarrival that he would have to make huge adjustments to a new home, andthat some semblance of respect and patience would be necessitated. Ican't imagine a family going so blindly into such a situation, andexpecting things to smoothly work themselves out.To me, the real heart of the story was the bigotry the familyexperienced in the wake of the Embassy hostage-taking. The directors'inclusion of news footage was a good move, though a bit overused, inintroducing this element.The handling of Ali is yet another issue - a provocative character, agreat departure point for an honest exploration of how American cultureis viewed by the rest of the world, and what it does to an immigrant'ssense of identity. The contrast between scenes of Ali praying, and theArmin family's secularism should've been the departure point for anexamination of the value of hanging onto minority traditions, or theoccasional pragmatic necessity of modifying or abandoning them.Instead, he seemed like a cartoon character - nothing but exaggeratedaccents, shrugs, and stares. The Ali-centric plot contrivances duringthe last 3rd of the film really took this dangerously close tomovie-of-the week territory.Ultimately I feel so critical of this film because I think this storyis very intensely relevant today, and the seeds of a masterpiece ofboth cinema and human observation are to be found here. But I also feelthat there is so much here that should've been explored in greaterdetail, and the subject matter deserves something great.

gillian502 2012-04-27 00:26:44

Well Acted

I worked on this film in the fall of 1998 when I was doing acting in NY.Itwas shot in NJ at an actual high school, and the main actors werewonderful.The lead actress really is named Maryam, and her performance is so muchmorerelevant today than 5 years ago...this should really be re-released andgetsome attention again, it kind of slipped under the radar the first timearound.

ThurstonHunger 2012-04-20 21:21:07

Guess Who's Coming to the Roller Rink

This was a very odd viewing experience that vacillatedbetween an absolutely compelling tale and a contrivedafter-school special. Some horrible acting by the lesserparts (the other high schoolers, the gun dealer) wouldclash with some tremendous acting by the leads.I think this may be a by-product of the ancient curse andblessing that comes with "based on a true story." Evidentlysome of the emotional resonance comes from directorRamin Serry's own travails and travels. Strangled by yellowribbons?His own history likely put the real in the relationshipbetweenmaiden Maryam with her Mom and Dad. The play of boundariesbetween them, both as child/parents and American/immigrantprovide this film with its best moments. Even ninth generationAmericans see their folks as aliens...Meanwhile, despite David Ackert's fine work, his characterofAli is doomed by his eventual actions. The most outlandishof which, according to the commentary, is something thatactually sort of happened. Yes, truth is stranger thanfiction;but it is not as often as telling.That outlandish act revolves around a political crisis,butthis film when it succeeds (which was often for me) doesso when it strives to avoid the political, for the personal.The interaction of Maryam and her cousin are more effectivethan a thousand placards. There's a great scene whereinMaryam, on the defensive to Ali, strikes back by questioningthe depth of his devotion for such a recent convert.Wethinks he doth protest too much....which ties to...The character of Ali's dad, that was fascinating to me.Thoughhe's not really portrayed much more than a stunt man's fall,howthat character is delineated by others made me hungry tohearor see more. Also how could you not adore Shohreh Aghdashlooas Maryam's mother...I suspect in nearly every house, ineverycountry, it is mothers such as her character here thatholdevery thing together.When this film screams for common sense, she delivers it.And I think in watching this, and the world at large, accentingthat which is common and sensible is what we all want.Despite its flaws, I enjoyed this film and hope others willaswell. As much as I detest TV, America sorely needs a Persianversion of the Huxtables (hopefully with the sitcom writtenbyFiroozeh Dumas who wrote the uncommonly hilarious yetheartfelt book, "Funny in Farsi").7/10

Banafsheh 2012-04-20 03:46:26

Elementary filmmaking, historically inaccurate, politically naive

I have seen this film and I cannot believe that anyone would think this"after-school special" blownup to 35mm is "the best film about race in along time." The filmmaking is so conventional and base -- and simply notcredible at times. But on top of all of that, its one dimensionalcharacters only reinforce negative stereotypes about Iranians (andMuslims).In fact, this film is so politically naive that only those who knowvirtually nothing about Iranian history (i.e. Mr. Ebert) and the US' partinpost-colonial Iran would find it interesting or "looked over." I hopethatMr. Serry does more research before embarking on his next project becausejust being descended from Iranian parents does not mean you have theinsight(or the right to delve) into such complex issues such as the 1979Islamic Revolution, the Hostage Crisis, SAVAK, etc.

Rich Cline 2012-04-20 15:30:31

First-time writer-director Serry shows a remarkable gift for storytelling with this moving, effective little film about life in the USA for Iranians during the hostage crisis in 1979.

2012-04-20 01:34:06

A simple story, simply told...

From a film-maker's perspective, there's nothing to recommend about "Maryam." Some reviewers have compared it to an ABC After-School Special (the ultimate insult) and I can see where they're coming from. This is movie-making by the numbers, with a low budget, adequate-but-not-great acting, and the occasional moment of melodrama.The story itself, however, is somewhat interesting. Maryam is an Iranian-American who is fully and happily Americanized. Life becomes difficult, however, when her Iranian cousin comes to stay with her family. He's somewhat radical in his Islamic beliefs and between his inability to adapt to the American culture and the concurrent historical events (the taking of the American hostages by the Iranian government) it suddenly becomes very difficult for Maryam to blend in. As someone who's very interested in cultural issues and international relations, I mostly enjoyed the movie. It was never great, but was often interesting enough to keep my attention. The ending, however, does go a little over-the-top as the Islamic cousin decides to sneak into a hospital and try to kill the former Shah of Iran. That, and the scenes of him waving his gun around like a lunatic seemed a tad bit silly. But, overall, the movie was good.For those of you who are interested in seeing Iran from a fresh perspective, however, I STRONGLY recommend a book (graphic novel, actually) titled "Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood." Persepolis is the autobiography of Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian woman who was just a girl when the Shah was deposed and the Iran/Iraq war began. "Persepolis" is everything that "Maryam" wants to be but isn't.

Andrew O'Hehir 2012-04-19 22:22:32

This movie may not have the highest production values you've ever seen, but it's the work of an artist, one whose view of America, history and the awkwardness of human life is generous and deep.

Walter Chaw 2012-04-18 23:54:52

captures that perverse element of the Kafkaesque where identity, overnight, is robbed and replaced with a persecuted "other."

Jeffrey M. Anderson 2012-04-11 06:16:50

It takes this never-ending confusion and hatred, puts a human face on it, evokes shame among all who are party to it and even promotes understanding.

2012-04-11 03:56:13

Underrated Gem

A beautifully crafted story setting a family drama against the backdrop of international events. Great performances from the main characters and a convincing evocation of the era. Explores a lot of issues about what it means to be American. This rocks.

Rich Cline 2012-04-06 01:34:41

First-time writer-director Serry shows a remarkable gift for storytelling with this moving, effective little film.

George Parker 2012-04-05 05:06:38

Sanitized for your protection

"Maryam" is all about the title character, an Iranian-American New Jerseyteen (Parris), and her family who, in 1979 during the Iranian hostagecrisis, inherit Ali (Ackert), a relative from Iran andpro-Ayatollah/anti-Shah college student, who resurrects some painful familyissues while everyone suffers from the anti-Iranian sentiments of the time.The story has solid dramatic potential much of which goes unrealized as thishighly sanitized indie plays out like Ozzie and Harriet having a really badday. Among the highlights of the film are a gun actually being fired (oneshot), someone saying the F-word, one kiss, a scuffle, a car being trashed,etc. Not for the jaded, not for realists, and not for serious film buffs,"Maryam" may play well for sentimentalists who can buy into anything at thedrop of a Kleenex. (C+)