This forthcoming film looks like it might be interesting. Hopefully, the 9/11 theme receives good treatment. (As an aside, I discovered that the film's director, Mira Nair, is married to scholar Mahmood Mamdani, whose book Good Muslim, Bad Muslim is quite good and aided my research for It's Not about Religion. Small world.)
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/thereluctantfundamentalist
A brief sidenote on Argo
On the topic of films, I recently saw Argo. And while I decided against writing up my thoughts for a dedicated blog post, I might at least include here a distillation of them.
The film's gross historical distortions have been well documented by now (e.g., see Juan Cole's review and its embedded links.) What the viewer is left with is a movie about vulnerable white Americans trapped in a scary land filled with scary people.
As far as cinema goes, Argo was, in my view, well done and entertaining. But while watching it I remember muttering, "It's a shame this movie is about an important issue." The standard motif of American exceptionalism is on full display. At the film's core is a forget-the-rules, maverick determination to outsmart the bloodthirsty Persians, their eyes bulging with venom and stupidity. America versus the world.
The first couple minutes of Argo provide a quick history lesson about the CIA-engineered coup in 1953 that derailed Iran, setting it on a path that would result in the country's current leadership. I'm not sure why it was included, but I'm glad it was. I realize the motive is to fill theaters, sell DVDs, and bring in wheelbarrows full of money. And making your audience feel superior really, really works. (It explains why the Holocaust has become a film genre.) But as viewers it's crucial we remain aware of the manipulation. Naturally, being influenced is why we watch movies in the first place: we seek romance and drama and action and horror to experience those environments. It's part of the magic of motion pictures. However, when history is being rewritten and ideologies are being reinforced, the damage far outweighs the enjoyment.
