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. It is a romantic comedy set in New York City; it is about Sam, an American soldier, and Amira, an illegal immigrant from Iraq. Drafthouse Cinemas has the distribution rights.[1]
Plot
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. Initially Amira does not trust him because he was an American soldier. Amira, a vendor of pirated films, is forced to stay with Sam after immigration officials go in pursuit of her. As the film progresses, Sam and Amira fall in love.
Cast
- Amira Jafari (Dina Shihabi)
- Andrew O'Hehir of Salon describes her as "a saucy, rebellious Muslim girl trying out the new roles made available to her, at least temporarily, in America."[2] Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times described her as "a sharp-tongued hottie — hijab above, party below — given to heedless lawbreaking."[3]
- Sam Seneca (Martin Starr)
- He is an Italian American former Green Beret sergeant. O'Hehir described him as "an introspective guy with a dry wit" and "as laconic as" the fictionalized depiction of Chris Kyle in the film American Sniper.[2] O'Hehir also described Sam as "somewhat the black sheep" in his family.[2]
- Bassam Jafari (Laith Nakli)
- Charlie (Paul Wesley)
- Jack (David Rasche)
- Greg (Ross Marquand)
- Claire (Taylor Wilcox)
Production
Much of the film was shot on Staten Island.[2]
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.[6] In addition the film was to be available on home video and digital formats.[1]
Reception
Catsoulis wrote that the film is "is more successful as a portrait of veteran alienation than as a romance."[3]
O'Hehir stated that despte 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."[2] 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."[2]
John DeFore of the Hollywood Reporter wrote that the romantic chemistry between Amira and Sam was "just right".[7]
Alan Scherstuhl of the Village Voice wrote that the film had "implausibilities" but that the romance was overall "stellar". [8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Yamato, Jen. "Drafthouse Acquires Martin Starr Romance ‘Amira & Sam’" (Archive). Deadline. Penske Business Media, LLC. August 28, 2014. Retrieved on January 28, 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 O'Hehir, Andrew. "“Amira & Sam”: Meet the rom-com antidote to “American Sniper”" (Archive). Salon. January 28, 2015. Retrieved on January 29, 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 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.
- ↑ Keogh, Tom. "‘Amira & Sam’ deals with love and casualties of war." The Seattle Times. Thursday January 29, 2015. Retrieved on February 11, 2015.
- ↑ Noh, David. "Film Review: Amira & Sam." Film Journal International. January 30, 2015. Retrieved on February 11, 2015.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ DeFore, John. "'Sam & Amira': SIFF Review" (Archive). Hollywood Reporter. May 30, 2014. Retrieved on January 29, 2015.
- ↑ 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
- Beggs, Scott. "Amira and Sam Offers a Sweetly Stirring Look at Post-War America" (Archive). Film School Rejects. January 28, 2015.
- Oakley, Josh. "Interview: Sean Mullin, Director of Amira & Sam" (Archive). Cut Print Film. January 27, 2015.
- Oakley, Josh. "Interview: Martin Starr" (Archive). Cut Print Film. January 30, 2015.
- Wardrope, Todd. "First-time promoter brings indie film "Amira and Sam" to Minnesota" (Archive). Twin Cities Daily Planet. January 26, 2015.
- Leuck, Tristan. "Romance and the Twin Towers: “Amira and Sam”" (Archive). District, Student paper of the Savannah College of Art and Design. October 27, 2014.