THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST (2012) by Mira Nair

VENUE CHANGE: William's Fresh Cafe, 170 University Avenue W, Waterloo, ON

^^^ Meetup's Location Search doesn't list this exact address for some reason, so I had to input a placeholder one. We'll meet on Barry's turf at the William's at 170 University Ave W in Waterloo. One or two of us are likely to carpool, so if you'd like in on that, feel free to message me here or see the WhatsApp Group for details!

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“An incredible portrait of racism and profiling in post 9/11 America.” Brendan Foley, Cinapse.co

“This provocative film deals with the geopolitical ramifications of the world America has made, unwittingly or not; a world where people who should be our friends may have become our enemies.” Kenneth Turan, on NPR.

“Mira Nair has offered a truly ‘global film’ that electrifies the post-9/11 narrative. While most American novels and films never seem to escape the emotional and political confines of US exceptionalism … this offers a compelling critique.” Ayesha Alam (Crescent International)

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[Barry]

A young Pakistani man chasing corporate success on Wall Street finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American Dream, a hostage crisis, and the enduring call of his family's homeland. This film offers an unconventional take on the Post-9/11 world and poses questions regarding the nature of identity, culture, fundamentalism, extremism, and more. Perhaps less well-known because it runs counter to common narratives. From international director Mira Nair, who is also the mother of Zohran Mamdani, the current mayor of NYC.

AVAILABILITY. The Reluctant Fundamentalist is on Hoopla through a Guelph library card and other jurisdictions (but not for the KPL). It is also found on fsharetv.cc, which is a safe free streaming site.

I look forward to seeing you all! - Barry

Notes on using fsharetv.cc

It is possible to make subtitles display. At times I prefer this. Pro tip: Under Settings > Pick Subtitles >, select the (top) entry - with the most downloads. These are pulled from Opensubtitles.org. For Fundamentalist, the top entry was in sync, for me.