The leading young actor's performance in this film is the only praise-worthy thing about it. She's superb in the role. Unfortunately, while the stellar supporting cast do as well as they can with the material they've been given, it isn't enough to save the rest of the film. Actually, it's hard to imagine why a film that seemed to hold so much promise would fail so miserably.
The title suggests a racial theme and gives the impression that new insights into the problems faced by Arab-Americans living in post 9/11 America will be shared with the audience. Unfortunately, all we get is an unconvincing interracial marriage relationship and some benign schoolyard name-calling. The early scenes suggest another promising study: how a teenage girl might deal with culture-clashed parents whose moral compass rarely points in the same direction. Unfortunately, all we get here is a confused mish-mash of dubious moral rectitude, implausible sexual relationships, immature character development and one-dimensional racial stereotypes. In fact, there are a dozen or so places where important issues could be explored with much greater depth and sensitivity and edited convincingly into the final cut.
Among the more implausible situations we’re expected to believe are: that a polite, sensitive and shy teenage girl would routinely masturbate to orgasm openly in class; that paper-thin, new-age, pseudo-morality and 'getting to know your vagina' books are adequate protection against statutory rape and a substitute for sex education. Least plausible is that we're expected to believe that most females in suburbia are mature, wise and morally upright and most males are new-age girly-men, idiots or paedophiles.
One has to ask, then, why this film was really made. The only thing that’s completely convincing is the complacency shown towards inappropriate sexual behaviour. Although it’s implicit and not shown, it is indicative of the boundless, pan-sexual world in which we currently find ourselves. Indeed, there’s a disturbing sensuality to these scenes that gives one the distinct impression that the filmmakers were somehow gratified by them.
At its best, this film is wasteful of the opportunity that must have foreshadowed it. At it’s worst, it is little more than child pornography. I encourage you not to waste your money on it if you want to learn anything of value or if you care about teenagers.
