The last mini-series T.V. movie that had me this on edge with anticipation was probably back with Stephen King’s ABC movie The Langoliers. Until tonight.
In “Britz” (BBC America, 8 p.m.), writer and director Peter Kominsky (“The Government Inspector”) reacts more to the July 7, 2005, London Tube bombing that killed 52 — known there as 7/7 — than America’s 9/11.But instead of re-enacting that tragedy, he concocts a fiction about a pair of second-generation Muslims in Northern England, a brother and sister who go starkly different ways in reacting to the anti-terror precautions of their time.[courant]
My dad and I were both on the edge of our seat watching this - and there are not many movies that both of us can sit through together. The first part of the movie looks at brother Sohail’s life (played by hottie Riz Ahmed). Sohail detours from his law school to join the M15, the domestic spying operations. As the token Muslim Urdu speaking spy, he quickly gets involved with investigating Muslim terrorist cells. The story takes us on the complex journey on how he is fighting for justice for Muslims through being on “the inside”.
The concluding part, which shows tonight (Dec 1st) on BBC America at 8pm follows the story of Sohail’s sister, a medical student and political activist, Nasima (played by Manjinder Virk).
Part two follows the story of Nasima … who spends much of her time campaigning against repressive government policies and witnesses at first-hand the relentless targeting of her Muslim neighbors… Nasima is not only forced to question her liberal views but left feeling so angry at, and estranged from, the country of her birth, that she embarks on an extraordinary journey that eventually takes her to a terrorist training camp in north-west Pakistan.[bbcamerica]
Besides being a thriller around hyphenated Muslim characters around the struggle for identity, I was particularly compelled with how the movie addresses the idea that ‘terrorists don’t simply exist, but are created.’
Obviously, there’s no defense for terrorism, but there are explanations, which is what “Britz” attempts to show. Viewers may also find irony in the depiction of intolerance, hate and fear among adherents to Islam that’s mirrored among other religious extremists (e.g., American citizens who use their religion as a reason to vote to legalize discrimination against gays or Christians who bomb abortion clinics).“It’s designed to rock the boat and ask questions,” Ahmed said at a BBC America press conference in July. “Our hope is this is a program that encourages the asking of difficult questions and debate of an issue that maybe hasn’t received as much coverage stateside as it has in the U.K.”[desertnews]
If you missed Part 1 tonight, BBC America is rebroadcasting Part 1 on a loop. I’m also pretty sure you can watch the first part at 5pm tonight (Dec 1st) before the 8pm showing of Part 2 (be sure to check your local listings).
I highly recommend watching this but do keep in mind it is a ‘made for TV’ movie, so don’t expect the cinematic excellence of Slumdog Millionaire. That being said, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie that realistically attempted to address the complexities of what it means to be a ‘terrorist’ like this movie tries to do. Aside from Lost, I’m used to seeing two dimensional stereotypes spit out by Hollywood, especially when it comes to terrorist characterization. I was also drawn in by the unique telling of the story using parallel stories on diverging characters from the same family gives a unique perspective. Though with it’s flaws (Chicago Tribune called it “faltering” and “too earnest”), as a Muslim American, the movie gave me something tangible to grab a hold of in the post-Mumbai massacre confusing mess of feelings I’ve had this week.
