Miral
Director: Julian Schnabel
Year Released: 2010
Rating: 1.0
Scattered story about several generations of Palestinian women, leading up to the trials and tribulations of the title little lady (Freida Pinto), who flirts with radicals, gets into trouble with the Israelis and becomes a writer. Many have pointed out an anti-Israel slant to this - any movie about 'the situation' will never please either side, ever (mostly because both sides take pride in their inability to compromise and both are right and wrong in different ways) - although Schnabel's too much the visual stylist and not exactly a political mind or a skilled storyteller: he's considerably less intrigued by the details of the conflict than the workings of his hand-held cameras and color palette. Pinto appears utterly lost in here, which could be a result of a lack of direction or an inability to really process the role. Speaking of lost: the promising sub plot about the school teacher and the message about the power of education goes absolutely nowhere.
