A Mighty Heart is the film adaptation of the book with the same name, a book written by Mariane Pearl, widow of Daniel Pearl, a journalist killed in Pakistan in 2002.
Her husband was kidnapped en route to an interview with an underground figure; a pregnant Pearl pushed aside her grief and fear to collect a group of international experts to try and find Daniel Pearl before it was too late. As we all know, though, it was too late.
Mariane Pearl is an incredible woman, showing poise and grace, as well as remarkable intelligence, in every act.
Mariane Pearl is played by Angelina Jolie in dark makeup Pearl has mixed ethnicity, which caused some furor from the African community over the idea of ‘blackface’ all over again.
Nonetheless, it’s hard to argue against Jolie for the role. Her personal life has been wracked with paparazzi and rumours, but at the heart of it, she’s Jon Voight’s daughter and she’s an actress. One that thrives in closeup, with her big, beautiful eyes and sensuous lips expressing emotion in total silence. The movie acts as a star vehicle for Jolie, putting her at the center of it all.
Asra Q. Nomani, friend and colleague of the Pearls, wrote an article in the Washington Post about her reaction to the film, which I think, has a great deal of relevance:
It’s a moving film, naturally the small theatre I watched the film in was wracked with sobs. Any story of a woman losing her husband in going to be an emotional one, surely. However, it’s the story that is emotional, as is the brave figure of Mariane Pearl.
As a film director Michael Winterbottom disappoints by relying on hacked attempts to maintain tension and drama. We’re in that age, where political thrillers must come with shaky, handheld camera work and fast cuts.
Additionally, western directors never tire of showing traffic jams in Asian countries. Apparently, that’s what they think of those countries packed with filthy locations and a dirty mass of sweaty people.
During the police segments, the editing cuts so quickly between shots that its disorientating, which is naturally the point. My displeasure with the technique is the overuse in American cinema at the moment to me, it’s a cheap method of making the screen seem frenzied.
Most of the action scenes involve the Pakistani police busting thugs in connection to the kidnapping. Obviously, the audience is meant to cheer them on, hoping that they’ll resort to crueler methods to rescue Daniel Pearl.
I wonder, if it was American police officers busting into homes without warrants, terrorizing suspects, would we cheer?
A Mighty Heart, shows that a wealthy foreigner, living abroad, can use the deplorable methods of interrogation to her favour. Is that the message that Mariane Pearl had for the world when she wrote her book?
I say Honestly, though the film comes off as uninspired and cliched, the story of Mariane and Daniel Pearl is definitely one worth watching, and Jolie carries the grace of the main character very well.
See it for: Most of the shots with Jolie are shot in India.
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