Movie Review - The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist ***½  (R) If there were ever a cautionary tale for our times, this may qualify. Changez (Riz Ahmed) is a brilliant young Pakistani who emigrates to the U.S. in search of the American Dream. Coming from a scholarly middle-class family, he starts with an Ivy League education in finance and heads for Wall Street, where he quickly becomes a rising star at a large venture capital firm with international tentacles. He also falls in love with a hip, artsy lass (Kate Hudson). He is poised for success on both fronts when 9/11 occurs. From then on, nothing seems right here or in his homeland. He’s too Westernized for Pakistan, but viewed with too much suspicion here to enjoy the fruits of his labors...or even travel safely among strangers.

The fulcrum for Mira Nair’s suspenseful product is a meeting between Changez and an American journalist (Liev Schreiber), trying to defuse a hostage crisis. Changez has returned to his homeland as an educator, embittered by all he lost, and how little his own actions or beliefs had to do with it. The men share some history and remnants of good will that might save the day. The suspense lies in whether they can overcome their own trust issues and the escalating tensions and pressures among everyone around them on both sides.

Even though fear and suspicion in the wake of those attacks are understandable, the xenophobic response to anyone who looks like they’re from that part of the world has caused collateral damage to all. Many solid citizens and contributors to our well-being have been injured, ostracized, or worse. The US has lost the benefits of their participation, and quite a bit of our moral standing beyond these borders. However idealized or simplified this particular dramatization may be, it still represents undeserved abuses thousands have suffered from the stereotyping and overreactions of an insecure populace. How many doctors, nurses, engineers, police, firefighters, educators, etc. have we lost or alienated from fear and prejudice? Even worse, how many allies and neutrals have radicalized against us because of how we’ve responded to these threats? 

Terrorists don’t have to kill and maim to succeed. They only need to cause so much anxiety that we implode in response. Countries that have endured terrorist acts for decades don’t cost themselves the services and good will of their neighbors from such associations and assumptions. This film works on two levels. It’s a taut thriller, and a reminder of what we lose when we sacrifice our founding principles in times of fear. (5/10/13)