Amira & Sam

Amira & Sam is a 2014 American film written and directed by Sean Mullin and produced by Terry Leonard, Erich Lochner, and Matt Miller with executive producers James Ponsoldt, Meg Montagnino-Jarrett, and Peter Sobiloff. A romantic comedy set in New York City, the film is about Sam, an American soldier, and Amira, an illegal immigrant from Iraq. Drafthouse Cinemas has the distribution rights.[1]

The film has several story elements, including capitalism, immigration, life after the military, and attempting to be successful in the entertainment world.[2]

Plot

The film is set in 2008, prior to the Great Recession.[2] Sam, a soldier who had served in Afghanistan and Iraq, meets Amira when he visits her uncle, Bassam, who had served as Sam's Iraqi translator. Bassam and Sam have a special bond due to their time together in the war. Initially Amira does not trust him because he was an American soldier and her brother was killed by a bomb from American troops in the war. Sam's cousin, Charlie, asks Sam to help him with illegal hedge funds unbeknownst to Sam at the time. Amira is staying with her uncle Bassam since her father died. She sells bootlegged films on the street corner but is forced to stay with Sam after getting busted; immigration officials begin pursuing her. As the film progresses, Sam and Amira fall in love.

Cast

Nabila Pathan of Al Arabiya wrote that the film's protagonists, Amira and Sam, both have "non-conformist" attitudes.[3]

Sean Mullin makes a cameo as the host of a stand-up comedy routine in which Sam performs.[3]

Background

Mullin, a former member of the New York Army National Guard, had performed stand-up comedy and was a first responder in the September 11 attacks. He decided to create the film after hearing about friends in the U.S. military trying to get asylum for their Iraqi translators.[3]

Production

Much of the film was shot on Staten Island.[8]

Shihabi and Naikli used an Iraqi dialect coach,[3] one of Nakli's friends, to refine their Arabic. Shihabi's native dialect is a form of Levantine Arabic while she used Iraqi Arabic in the film.[7]

Nakli also served as an associate producer in recognition of the contributions he made to the film.[3]

The director, Mullin, used suggestions from the actors to shape the film and there were periods where actors improvised.[7]

Release

The release was scheduled for early 2015. A limited theatrical release was planned,[1] scheduled for January 30, 2015. A video on demand release was scheduled for the same day.[13] In addition the film was to be available on home video and digital formats.[1]

Reception

Catsoulis wrote that the film is "more successful as a portrait of veteran alienation than as a romance."[9]

Linden wrote that it is "a considerable feat" that the film "manages to be engaging and unforced for a good portion of its running time" and that the "low-key warmth" of the main actors is among the most positive elements of the film.[2] She added that "Nothing feels truly at stake, no matter how weighty the risks the characters face".[2]

O'Hehir stated that despite implausibilities in the film, its romance "worked on me, or at least it made me wish that the world of Sam and Amira’s wonderful and unlikely love affair really existed. It’s a better world than ours."[8] O'Hehir added that even though the film had good intentions and any cultural mistakes "are exceptionally mild", "If enough people see this movie, it’s possible that Mullin will come under attack for eroticizing or exoticizing an Arab woman, and/or disrespecting Islam."[8]

Schager gave the movie a "C" ranking, arguing that it was generic even though it had a cultural divide as a theme. Schager criticized the nature of Sam Seneca.[10]

Ben Sachs of the Chicago Reader stated that the "message of tolerance" was "heavy-handed", the romance "unconvincing", and the financial subplot "feels totally misguided".[14]

John DeFore of the Hollywood Reporter wrote that the romantic chemistry between Amira and Sam was "just right".[15]

Alan Scherstuhl of the Village Voice wrote that the film had "implausibilities" but that the romance was overall "stellar". [16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Yamato, Jen. "Drafthouse Acquires Martin Starr Romance ‘Amira & Sam’" (Archive). Deadline. Penske Business Media, LLC. August 28, 2014. Retrieved on January 28, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Linden, Sheri. "In 'Amira & Sam,' Martin Starr and Dina Shihabi add charm." Los Angeles Times. January 29, 2015. Retrieved on November 16, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pathan, Nabila. "Rom-com on U.S. veteran, Iraqi refugee love set for silver screen." Al Arabiya. Tuesday January 6, 2015. Retrieved on 15 November 15, 2015.
  4. ↑ Harris, Will. "Martin Starr on Amira & Sam, Freaks And Geeks, odd birds, and a whole lot of fun." A.V. Club. January 29, 2015. Retrieved on November 16, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Luther, Jessica. ""Amira & Sam" is a Rom-Com That Deals With Immigration, Identity, and Love." Bitch. February 16, 2015. Retrieved on November 15 2015.
  6. ↑ Menendez, Alicia. "Middle East-born actress Dina Shihabi on proving her mother right: “Acting has taken up my life”." Fusion. January 28, 2015. Retrieved on November 15, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Barylski, Nicole (editor-in-chief). "INTERVIEW: Paul Wesley, Dina Shihabi, And Sean Mullin On "Amira & Sam" & The Beauty Of Improv." Hamptons.com. Retrieved on November 16, 2015. "While she speaks Arabic fluently, she speaks a Palestinian Arabic or Lebanese Arabic, so she had to learn a completely different dialect of Arabic."
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 O'Hehir, Andrew. "“Amira & Sam”: Meet the rom-com antidote to “American Sniper”" (Archive). Salon. January 28, 2015. Retrieved on January 29, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Catsoulis, Jeanette. "Take My Iraqi Niece, Please." The New York Times. January 29, 2015. Print: January 30, 2015, p. C9, New York Edition. Retrieved on February 11, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 Schager, Nick. "Amira & Sam’s cultural divide doesn’t liven up a clichéd genre piece." A.V. Club. January 29, 2015. Retrieved on November 17, 2015.
  11. ↑ Noh, David. "Film Review: Amira & Sam." Film Journal International. January 30, 2015. Retrieved on February 11, 2015.
  12. ↑ Keogh, Tom. "‘Amira & Sam’ deals with love and casualties of war." The Seattle Times. Thursday January 29, 2015. Retrieved on February 11, 2015.
  13. ↑ Rich, Katey. "This Is the Best Way to Ruin a Date at the Movies" (Archive). Vanity Fair. January 27, 2015. Retrieved on January 28, 2015.
  14. ↑ Sachs, Ben. "Amira & Sam " (Archive). Chicago Reader. Retrieved on November 18, 2015.
  15. ↑ DeFore, John. "'Sam & Amira': SIFF Review" (Archive). Hollywood Reporter. May 30, 2014. Retrieved on January 29, 2015.
  16. ↑ Scherstuhl, Alan. "Martin Starr is Grand in American-Iraqi Rom-Com Amira & Sam" (Archive). Village Voice. January 28, 2015. Retrieved on January 28, 2015. See also at Houston Press.

Further reading

External links

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