Maryam

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Reel Movie Critic.com</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reel Movie Critic.com"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id1922.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="12 Minutes"><U>12 Minutes</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1919.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lantana"><U>Lantana</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1915.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Made"><U>Made</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1921.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Man Who Bought Mustique"><U>The Man Who Bought Mustique</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1916.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Man Who Cried"><U>The Man Who Cried</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1920.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Man Who Wasnt There"><U>The Man Who Wasn't There</U></A>   |   <B>Maryam</B>   |   <A HREF="id1913.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Memento"><U>Memento</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1912.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Mexican"><U>The Mexican</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1918.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Monologue"><U>Monologue</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1917.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Musketeer"><U>The Musketeer</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="041d2c00dvldtc.png"> <div> <B>Home Pages for</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm"><U><B><U>Movies</U></B></U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm"><U> </U></A></FONT></div> <div> <B><U>      </U></B><A HREF="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/"><U><B><U>Books</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <B><U>           </U></B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id364.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B><U>Travel</U></B></U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id364.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U> </U></A></FONT></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id361.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B><U>Great Web Sites</U></B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Maryam</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>Maryam </B>***1/2  (Not Rated)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By George O. Singleton</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="549" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="545"><div> What goes around, comes around</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Maryam: Maryam Parris</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Ali: David Ackert</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Reza: Maziyar Jobrani</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Darius-Mary's father: Shaun Toub</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Mary's mother: Shohreh Aghdashloo</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Jill: Sabine Singh </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Director: Rain Serry</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Jamie: Victory Jory</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: A first generation Iranian-American family finds that their peaceful existence is shattered when Americans are taken hostage in Iran. This political background is only part of a larger story that deals with a young woman coming of age in a different culture. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> Although Maryam (Maryam Parris) was born in Iran, all of her memories are of her life in New Jersey. She blends in well at her school and the white, middle-class neighborhood in which she lives. She has the normal social hassles with her peers that many girls do, and she appears to have them reasonably well under control. Maryam is self confident and sure of herself, except when it comes to dealing with her father Darius (Shaun Toub). He's a physician who left Iran under less than ideal circumstances, both politically and within his immediate family. </div> <bR> <div> Darius is a conservative man who is not keen on Maryam (who prefers to be called Mary) dating in general and in particular, going out with white boys. He's not against interracial dating as much as he is against any male changing his little girl into a woman. </div> <bR> <div> Everything is normally crazy, until new events occur and something from the past in Iran comes to light. Ali (David Ackert), Darius's nephew arrives from Iran to live with him, his wife (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and Maryam, because of the overthrow of the Shah of Iran. Ali holds Darius responsible for the death of his father who was killed in the family home during an altercation with the police, shortly before their family came to America. The version of events Ali relates to Maryam has more truth to it than lies and the tension created in the family is palpable.    </div> <bR> <div> After American hostages are taken in Teheran, Maryam's family is treated much like the Japanese were in WWII after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Among a number of things to make them uncomfortable are racial slurs that are made in numerous ways. </div> <bR> <div> Ali is sent out with Maryam as a chaperone on a date where drinking, drugs and kissing take place and it's just what he needs to take action and ensure that this Iranian-American family does not fit into a perceived weakening social framework. By this time, almost every person in the film is in some sort of crisis.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: Peace is a fragile thing. If you are any type of minority (including white), and someone from your group does or is suspected of doing harm to the majority, they can go from being your best friend one-minute to your bitter enemy the next. </div> <bR> <div> This modern day tale, set in 1979, shows how quickly the things we thought had disappeared forever in the civil rights struggle of the 50's and 60's can come back in a flash. People who are not racist can commit racist acts.</div> <bR> <div> Maryam's family shows us how people feel who are first generation immigrants. That's something we need to know as 10% of the US population fits into this category. The team that made this film has produced a movie with the independent spirit of <I><B>You Can Count on Me</B></I><I><B> </B></I>that has the polish of a slick Hollywood production.</div> <bR> <div> This is an exceptional film from first time director Ramin Serry. So much is captured in this story regarding how we view ourselves as well as others who may not have been born US citizens. The best way to understand this is to see the film. It's a multi-layered story that in the hands of a less capable team would have been either uninteresting or too complex to cover in 90 minutes. </div> <bR> <div> Currently Maryam is making the rounds of the film festival circuit. If you get a chance to see it in your hometown, do so even if it requires a special effort. You'll be glad you did-this may be one of the best films of the year you may never see.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> Not Rated (sex; drugs; violence; language)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> George O. Singleton © 2001</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>George@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>