Necessary Illusions (2004) Online

So, you can feel what you like about politics and stuff, but there's no denying this little movie is a RUSH! Its not a roller coaster or a tear-jerking drama. Its more like a massive build up until you explode. That's what makes it so awesome - you're clinging to your seat as the tension grows and grows and grows.

I don't know if this is some kind of political statement, but it does make you think. Is it biased? Maybe. Kinda. Sorta. But, then again, it makes your really think. Made me think of the TSA!

The whole story is really clear and linear, but you're not really sure where its all going. This guy (Sharia) is just being put through the process of passport checks and stuff (he's a foreigner coming to the US of A) when something we don't know about starts to happen. And then, everything starts to go wrong. The tension is huge and it all comes to a massive climax.

Again, you can believe whatever you want about politics, but you'll definitely feel something for the protagonist.

I was recently given a DVD of this movie from a friend's son who happened to work on the crew. He told me to give it a go, so I did. As a passionate movie watcher, he said I should take this with a grain of salt, because it was done on the cheap and it was a first-time effort by Director Fayeque Rahman. He told me to leave aside budgets and script inconsistencies and to simply look at the movie for what it is. I wasn't very convinced by this, because if you watch a movie and truly appreciate it, you've got to look at all those things.

But, in all honesty, there's something about how this was all put together that says it took a lot of thinking. It doesn't look the greatest (I was told they shot it with an XL and PS mount!) and some of the footage isn't consistent. Its not even shot in an airport. That would seem like a pretty big issue for a movie that happens all in an airport.

The story is simple: a guy is crossing the border/arriving in the United States after 9/11. He's clearly an ethnic minority with a passport from an allied country. He's originally from Iran, but has a Canadian passport (flagrant use of autobiography). Of course, as you expect, this doesn't matter. So, he goes through this weird screening process (I don't think its factually correct, because we use electronic finger printing, not ink), but we don't really know why (a plot point that's based on some technical stuff through immigration). The whole movie is about this process and, ultimately, how humiliating it is for people to go through this.

I think the point being made is really clear by the time you finish the film. We've got to be careful about how we go about screening and dealing with people since 9/11.

What's pretty amazing about this film, though, is that despite the budgetary constraints (and, trust me, there are places where the budget shows), you'll never care. Yes, there are plot points that seem confusing (I wasn't sure if they were in the US or somewhere else, although that could have been part of the point). Yes, some of the acting isn't what you'd expect out of "award winning" movies. But, there are redeeming qualities that will keep you totally engaged and will keep you watching.

For one thing, the atmosphere is progressively more and more claustrophobic. You're immersed in a world that really Kafkaesque. And the sound is really menacing. You're almost tormented more and more as the movie moves along and you're begging, by the end, for this guy to be let go. No such luck. And this, I think, is the most amazing thing about the film. The central character has no way of fighting what's going on. He just endures whatever comes and you can see (great work of acting, here) how much pressure he's under. At the end, in the final scene, you're horrified not because of the images, but because you've been taken on a shaking journey.

I think that's what makes this film a fantastic commentary on a rear and present danger. It takes you through a journey where you can't abandon the lead character. Because of that, you suffer with him and you really feel it.

If you can find a copy, watch it.