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    L'Attentat

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
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    ”The Attack” is a real emotional roller coaster in the sense that one second you’ll be filled with sadness while the next you’ll be furious beyond words and then you’ll be so tense you won’t be feeling anything at all except for fear. Before I get started talking about this film, I will tell you that this one absolutely blew me away, but I had real trouble finding more information about it because this foreign film still doesn’t have a page on Wikipedia. I implore all of you out there to seek it out, and if you can, contribute to writing the article about it. I am going to be on the lookout for a Dvd/Blu-ray copy of my own so that I can do my part as well. Back to the movie. It’s a brilliant, thought-provoking film that you should take the time to watch.

    This film is an emotional roller coaster. The subject of the film is an poignant one to begin with. You see what the movie is about... and right away the emotions start boiling up. Fear that it might be true. Sadness that your loved one and so many are gone in such a senseless act of terrorism. Anger that if it is true, that you could have been deceived, or anger that people would dare to insinuate such behaviour from someone you trusted. With the police’s conclusions, our main character Amin’s life is turned upside down, and the emotions keep rising and churning. His friends turn their backs against him, the police heckle and torment him (not in ways that are particularly wrong, but in ways that will make you frustrated) As you watch the film, looking for clues as to what really happened; you’ll draw your own conclusions. Myself, I became infuriated whenever I saw flashbacks of Amin and Sihem together. It felt like she had been lying to him every day for 15 years of marriage, only to access the public’s trust because of his prestigious position as a top-notch surgeon. At the same time, I was hoping that everything was just a big mistake.

    There is also a heavy thriller element to the film. I’d divide this into two parts. The first is that You don’t know how our main character is going to be in the end. Because he rejects the conclusions the police come up with, he decides to do some investigating on his own... and it brings him to some very dangerous places. I like to describe these kinds of thrillers as movies where you have to apply large amounts of deodorant before going in because they will literally make you sweat out of nervousness. I don’t want to say too much because there are some devastating revelations in the film, not necessarily about Amin’s wife, but about the world that Israelis and Palestinians (and by extent, the whole world) lives in. Another element that I really liked was that the film portrays the consequences of terrorist acts with startling accuracy. I’ve already mentioned the fact that Amin becomes mostly ostracized by the people around him but there’s more to it than that. The pain, the anger, the questions that rise from the actions are all dealt with complete frankness in the film. It gave me this whole new light on a subject that I really hadn’t given too much thought. The racism that’s displayed in the film is heartbreaking and yet deep down, you know that what you are seeing is just a glimpse at something that is even more extreme in real life.

    The brilliant thing about “The Attack” is that it’s a profoundly emotional story, but there’s a whole lot more to it. It’s also a brilliant thriller and a film with a powerful message. The movie never really spells it out for you but by spending the 1hr and 42 minutes with this character the message becomes clear. I don’t want to spoil it because it really is something you need to see to understand but it affected me profoundly and left me reconsidering a lot of my preconceived thoughts about Israel and Palestine, as well as terrorism in general. The performances are very strong, the script and story are very well done and it is likely going to be an Oscar contender come the end of the year. For the sheer effect it had on my emotions, I was easily able to overlook any flaws (and even then, there were only minor ones) For all of the moments the movie gets right and for all of the light that it shines on a very real issue, it earns itself a high recommendation from me. (Original language with subtitles on the big screen, September 5, 2013)

    10
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    adamwatchesmovies@  22.11.2014 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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