Cast: Om Puri, Rachel Griffiths, Stellan Skarsgård, Akbar Kurtha, Gopi Desai, Harish Patel, Bhasker Patel
Director: Udayan Prasad
Producer: Chris Curling
Screenplay: Hanif Kureishi based on his novel
Cinematography: Alan Almond
Music: Stephen Warbeck
U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films
A common complaint voiced by film critics cites a lack of ambition in today's crop of cinematic contenders. Too many movies are hampered by simplistic, linear storylines and dull, single dimensional characters. From time-to-time, however, a motion picture can be damaged by going too far in the other direction. My Son the Fanatic, the latest output of writer Hanif Kureishi (My Beautiful Laundrette, Sammy and Rosie Get Laid), is such a project. With about a half-dozen subplots and secondary themes, it suffers from being overly ambitious. There's far too much going on here to cram into 90 minutes. In fact, in order to deal effectively with all of My Son the Fanatic's concepts, director Udayan Prasad would have needed a mini series.
The following issues are addressed with varying degrees of success: religious fanaticism, hypocrisy, the immigrant experience, bigotry, the struggle between responsibility and the liberation of the self, the inherent need that everyone has for tenderness, and the clash of cultures. Plot lines include the struggle between a father who desires a Western lifestyle and a son who wants to return to his roots, a German visitor to London who relies on his cab driver to supply prostitutes and drink, and the tender relationship between a lonely hooker and the older man who protects her. The material is all potentially compelling (and, upon occasion, it results in a powerful scene), but things come across as jumbled and incomplete. In the end, My Son the Fanatic's resolution leaves the viewer strangely dissatisfied, as if something important had been left on the cutting room floor.
There are two main branches to the plot, but, instead of complementing each other, they end up vying for screen time. The first highlights the contentious relationship between an aging cab driver, Parvez (veteran actor Om Puri), and his beloved son, Farid (Akbar Kurtha). On the verge of becoming engaged to an English girl, Farid suddenly breaks off the relationship and aligns himself with a group of hard-line Islamic fundamentalists. Parvez, who has rejected religion as well as most of his culture, is deeply upset by this turn of events, and matters become worse when his wife begins embracing Farid's beliefs. Feeling alienated from his family, Parvez turns to Bettina (Rachel Griffiths), a prostitute with whom he shares a special bond (of course, she has a heart of gold). The second aspect of My Son the Fanatic details their relationship as it develops into something deeper than the usual interaction between a hooker and her driver.
Whatever flaws may plague My Son the Fanatic, the quality of acting can't be numbered among them. In fact, both Om Puri (known to North American viewers for roles in films like In Custody and City of Joy) and Rachel Griffiths (Hilary and Jackie) are remarkable. They rise above the often confused screenplay and give the audience a pair of personalities to latch onto. When they're together, we're riveted. Unfortunately, when they're apart, the action swirling around them has a tendency to overwhelm their work. The supporting performances - by Stellan Skarsgård (Insomnia) as a man with the improbable name of Schitz (pronounce it aloud), Akbar Kurtha as Farid, and Gopi Desai as Minoo, Parvez's wife - are effective, but can't match Puri or Griffiths for scene-stealing power.
Even with its flaws, My Son the Fanatic has the capacity to interest a viewer because the territory it mines is so rich. The cultural divide between traditional Pakistani values and modern day Western morality is a subject not often explored in English language movies, and, while this film offers no more than a perfunctory treatment of the issue, there's still a compelling quality to the proceedings. Conversely, we have seen many movies that present the relationship between a prostitute and a seemingly unlikely suitor (everything from the banal fairy tale of Pretty Woman to the powerful and stirring Mona Lisa), but, because of the vivid nature of the characters involved here, we believe the love affair and want to see more of it. It does not feel tired or hackneyed, and manages to seemingly avoid most of the expected stereotypes. Admittedly, My Son the Fanatic has a small target audience, but, for those who enjoy this kind of motion picture, it at least offers a full plate. Too bad there's so little of each course.
© 1999 James Berardinelli