Sorry, Haters (2005)An emotionally intense but cinematically thin movie. I'm not sure where that leaves a viewer--I think it depends on what you want from a movie. The theme is ripe. An immigrant (a Muslim) with immigration problems meets a troubled woman (played by Robin Wright Penn) who abuses his situation. At it's most intense and personal it's moving and disturbing, and sad, if such terrible drama can just be plain old sad. But there are improbabilities (including the way their first meeting in a cab becomes very personal, with another woman and her child, in the blink of an eye). And there is a kind of plainness to it all, the writing, the filming, the story itself, that is linear and not quite enough to keep it going. It's true, I think, that being low budget was not an issue, but even within the style it was filmed, there might have been a better sense of camera-work and editing. The one thing that pushes forward best is the acting, often conspicuous for exceeding the writing. Director and writer Jeff Stanzer deserves a nod for trying, but he's only taken this half way, was a movie.Do I recommend this? I think only if you like Penn, like indie films about serious contemporary issues regardless of quality, or if you are interested in the theme of Muslim integration and devotion to not being integrated. It might surprise some people with its honesty and tenderness, between the long lulls. But others will sense, in the first twenty minutes, the tone of the whole movie, and might back out. For those latter, the ending is an intense surprise, and disturbing to the point of demented, so there is a need, perhaps, to stick it out, just for that five minutes. But then again, maybe not.

that propels this straight-to-video indie film forward. The script is a non-heavy discourse on a post-9/11 real human drama buttressing the broader sad moral-political conflict destroying America. Jeff Stanzler excels in writing an admirable and seriously original indie script which has a quality that gracefully understates the tragic human politics and polemics of disparate personal relationships.That aside, the role of Phoebe should have been played by a brilliant indie-experienced actress like Renee Zelwegger, Joan Cusack, or Juliette Binoche NOT the post-Madonna rebound bride of Tinsel Town's #1 arrogant chain-smoking ass-wipe. It must be HELL living under his leftist shadow. This (cough) actress is overwhelmed by the complexity of her character and it shows in ALL her scenes causing the tense undercurrent Stanzler has written for Phoebe to be denied its true intricate and absolutely credible revelation. Sandra Oh acts circles around the female lead actress giving necessary credence to the sub-plot straight out of "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle." However, the last two minutes of this film's main drama are two remarkable minutes! Abdel Kechiche's facial expression as he becomes belatedly aware of the depth to Phoebe's socio-pathetic betrayal is amazing acting.

If you read the reviews, you'll see that the ending is the polarizing element of this movie. Reactions range from apoplexy to confusion to adoration. Some will argue that this is a movie about American/Muslim tensions. Some might say it's about the after-effects of 9/11. Still others might view it as study of madness. But ultimately it's an intelligent, complex film that will inevitably illicit heated debate. And more importantly, if you appreciate world-class acting, Abdel Kechiche's and Robin Wright Penn's performances are worth your time. As stated in the DVD's round-table discussion special feature, you feel like a voyeur watching Wright Penn's character interact with the people in her life. Her every on-screen moment, no matter how shocking, is utterly believable. This movie really stays with you.

This movie's description fails to describe the actual story or feeling of the movie. I don't know if the director's point was to show how only a crazy person would consider a violent reaction to government oppression rather than using legal channels and means, but that's what I got out of it. Additionally, the movie explores how quickly an immigrant's life can be ruined in this country -- especially one who has limited financial resources, and who fits into a specific "profile." Also, the director shines a light on domestic terror, and the problem in general of combatting irrational angry reactions by individuals that affect the masses.A great movie! Suspenseful, unpredictable, and in the end your jaw may just drop open.