Names of Reviewers: Frances Glenn and Reem Talebagha

Review of: A Mighty Heart

Names of Reviewers: Frances Glenn and Reem Talebagha

Description: A screenplay adapted from the original written account of the Daniel Pearl kidnapping, as told by his wife Mariane Pearl.

• Synopsis: On January 23, 2002, Daniel Pearl is kidnapped. Pearl, a reporter for the Wall Street journal, was in Karachi, Pakistan with his wife researching the shoe bomber Richard Reid. On the night of the kidnapping, Daniel attempts to meet with an elusive religious leader suspected of orchestrating terrorist activity and never returns. Mariane, his pregnant wife, becomes worried from his absence and the search for Daniel ensues. After more than a month of a “rollercoaster from hell” ride, a video is delivered documenting the brutal decapitation of Daniel. This movie serves as Mariane’s memoir and testament for her son, Adam Daniel.

• Extremist Portrayed/Described: The visual identity of the men that allegedly orchestrated Daniel’s kidnapping and death are never revealed. Instead, only the names of the men responsible are provided at the end of the film. However, the men associated with the plot, in terms of transporting Daniel, are shown as young to middle aged bearded men. Although their interest in the kidnapping seems primarily for the financial payment they will receive, it is unclear whether their religious beliefs further connect them to the plot.

• Extremist Activities: Daniel’s confinement, torture, and decapitation are never shown during the film. The only source providing information about Daniel’s wellbeing comes in two emails sent to Mariane. These emails contained embedded photographs of Daniel in handcuffs holding dated newspapers to prove he is alive. At the end of the film, a video camera is delivered to the investigators and contains the footage of Daniel’s torture and decapitation. Only the reactions of the people viewing the video are seen; though, Mariane is not one of the viewers. In the final scene of the film, Mariane reveals the final events that occurred while Daniel was held captive, such as being chained to a car engine, and that after his decapitation his body was cut into ten pieces.

• Role of Religion in Extremist Activities: The intentions of the extremists are never clearly stated with the exception being the demands made by the National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistan Sovereignty (NMRPS). These demands, however, are not based out of a faith but rather nationalism. They claimed that their demands must be met if Daniel was to be released alive. Among their demands are the release of the Pakistani prisoners currently being held by the United States in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, their safe return to Pakistan, and the removal of the United States presence in Pakistan entirely.

• Portrayal/Description of Non-Violent Religious People: Although most scenes in the film are the actions and reactions of Daniel’s wife, family, colleagues, and the investigators, some scenes showed non-violent Muslims that typically lacked facial hair, unlike the extremists’ assistants. In addition, the main characters, Daniel, Mariane, and Asra, are all of different ethnicities and religions, however it is clear they are non-violent and peaceful people seeking to write the truth about the Pakistani situation. While only flashbacks are seen of Daniel, he is depicted as a clean cut American Jew with only goodness and happiness about him. His interview intentions with the Sheik are simply to gain another perspective. In addition, Mariane, a French Buddhist, maintains composure through the trying time of her husband’s disappearance and does not result to violence or hatred. In two scenes, Mariane is seen praying quietly in her bedroom about her husband.

As for Asra, their friend, and Daniel’s American family members, there is never any hatred or ill words spoken of the Pakistani people or Islam. In addition, all of the people are clean cut, well dressed, and educated people. Thus, all of these people act with dignity and civility and show a contrasting mainstream form of their religion from the extremists.

Evaluation:

Throughout the film, many men were stereotyped as suspects responsible for Pearl’s kidnapping and murder. Of these men, several were interrogated. One reason they became suspects is because they fit an ethnic profile. A large portion of this profile is their physical appearance. Several of the men that were interrogated, and during the movie were believed to be guilty, appeared to have Arab or Middle Eastern features, which included having long beards. In addition to physical appearance, the stigma between Daniel’s Jewish faith and the kidnapper’s Arab descent helped provide reason to stereotype some of the men interrogated. For example, investigators believed that Sheik Gilani was responsible for Pearl’s kidnapping based on his membership in al-Qaeda and his strong Islamic faith. When the investigators finally interrogate Gilani, he claims that he has never heard of this plan and did not even know of the situation. Shortly after, information from the National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistan surfaces in their investigation and it is revealed that this is a nationalistic movement rather than religious one.

As the film closes, Mariane and the investigators still do not know the final party responsible for Daniel’s murder. Although, this unknown clearly bothers Mariane, she makes it clear to her family and friends that she will not be terrorized by this and does not want them to be either. Instead, through writing a testament to her husband’s life, Mariane sought to show his story but not create a hatred or fear of the extremists responsible. Through doing this, Mariane hoped to challenge herself, her friends, and others not to be fearful but to seek knowledge and understanding always.