The Price of Prejudice

Author(s): Jeffrey (Long Island)
The Price of Prejudice

Directed by Tony Gilroy
Written by Tony Gilroy

Main Cast:

Shohreh Aghdashloo as Farrah Bashir
Chris Cooper as Nick Rochester
Lewis Alsamari as Robert Bashir
with Oprah Winfrey as herself

Tagline: "How can you stand up when everybody pushes you back down?"

Synopsis: Farrah Bashir received the phonecall that her son Robert had fallen in the line of duty on a Tuesday morning, and immediately sunk to the floor in a state of complete hysterics. Her family had been a target of numerous vicious slurs and her husband was beaten brutally to death in a hate crime just a few months after September 11th, 2001. Her son had joined the war against terror to show his support for his country. Now, he had paid with his life. Farrah has a flashback to the week following her husband's death. Devestated, she is clearly emotionally unstable and is only functioning properly with the help of her well-rounded son. Robert is a truly modernized American, almost completely disillusioned from his Muslim background. Both Farrah and Robert are frequently tormented by their ignorant neighbor, Nick Rochester, a lonely man who bitterly and wrongly accuses the Bashir family of being terrorist associates. In spite of Farrah's protest, Robert makes a decision to join the army to help fight for his country and prove to people like Nick Rochester that not all Arab, Muslim people are terrorists.

Back in the present, Farrah is not recovering well from the news of her son's death. She is visually deteriorating emotionally, leading the person who she least expected to help her recover: Nick Rochester, who has overheard the tragic events of her life. Farrah and Nick work together to broadcast Farrah and Robert's story to the world, although Nick is still clearly uncomfortable around the Arab woman. They publish several news articles and give local interviews about American perception of Muslim citizens. Eventually, her story spreads nation-wide, and one night she receives a call inviting her to be interviewed on the Oprah Winfrey Show. She graciously accepts, and while on the show, she is moved to tears by the declaration of her son as a hero. Touched by the story of Farrah and Robert, Oprah surprises Farrah with a new, large house in a rich neighborhood. Nick is devestated that Farrah is moving to a new town, however he does not have the courage to go back on his principles and former beliefs and tells her that he is glad to be rid of her.

Farrah is heartbroken, but she manages to overcome her emotions when she moves into her new, lavish home. A week after she moves in, she comes home from the grocery store to see it completely vandalized, with ethnic and religious slurs graffitied across the lawn and garage. Toilet paper hangs from the trees, and vulgar pictures litter the driveway. Farrah is, once again, pushed down to one of her low emotional points and breaks down in front of her home for all of the neigbhors to see. She is shocked when Nick appears behind her (who had come to apologize to her but instead saw the crime occur), comforting her and letting her know that he caught the vandals and made sure that they would never bother her again. Farrah is relieved that her friend has returned, and after collecting herself, she and Nick begin to silently clean up the lawn. After a few moments, the onlooking neighbors walk over to Farrah's home and help her to rectify it from the wreckage. It is a silent moment of acceptance that Farrah has, for the first time in years, finally experienced.

What the Press Would Say:

It's not often that the perpetrators of hate crimes stop to think about the lives of the innocent victims they attack, but after a mind-blowing and poignant film such as "The Price of Prejudice", it gives hope to anybody that the world might come to understand and open up to minorities rather than act violently towards them out of ignorance. "Prejudice" is the story of an Arab woman- her country of origin being of no importance to the story- whose life is turned upside down by a single phone call and the awful blatant disregard her community shows her following the death of a hero: her son. But the film has its endearing plot points as well, the theme of acceptance being the most prevalent.

What exactly does a person have to do in order to be "accepted" by society? In the main character's case, her warm heart and compassion does not sway most people, but ironically it is the most ignorant of all her acquaintances who seems to have the smallest understanding of Farrah's troubles (because he, himself, is completely alone in a world that could do without him). Tony Gilroy, the director of legal thriller "Michael Clayton", returns to film with this importance piece and no director could have done a better job. Gilroy's directing and screenplay takes a thankfully non-preachy approach to showing the disturbances caused by prejudice in society. Gilroy makes sure that the only thing that the audience will depreciate about the film is the pain inflicted upon Farrah Bashir. The character of Farrah Bashir is difficult to discuss without reminding everybody of the stunning Shohreh Aghdashloo (people will remember her from her critically acclaimed, Academy Award-nominated role in the depressing House of Sand and Fog), who truly embraces her character and pumps an enormous burst of life and realism into Farrah. Shohreh's haunting voice is memorable enough, but when coupled with a performance that has such emotional baggage, audiences and critics won't soon forget her. She is the strongest actress this year, no exceptions; she is possibly even the strongest of the decade.

Her two male screen partners are polar opposites, Chris Cooper's Nick is a very dynamic character whose changes throughout the movie are part of the film's strongest emotional points. Cooper is by far the most effective and subtle character in the film, his acting is sure to be one of "Prejudice"'s biggest praises. On the other spectrum of the male characters, there is Shohreh Aghdashloo's on-screen son, Lewis Alsamari, the British actor and author who audiences will remember from United 93, though his persona is considerably different in this film. Alsamari's Robert is perhaps the most humane and relateable character in the film. Alsamari's screentime nears around 20 minutes throughout an endearing flashback scene, but his presence is never completely gone from the viewer. His performance gives the audience just enough to appreciate him as a person. "The Price of Prejudice" is a lyrical masterpiece concocted by a masterful director and a magnificent cast. Its message is strong: all people deserve their chance to prove themselves as human beings. There is little to no political backdrop in the film, which people will be thankful for. "Prejudice" simply tells a powerful story of a woman who wants a country that came together after a tragedy to treat her with the same respect, especially in the aftermath of her own personal tragedies.
For Your Consideration:

Best Picture
Best Director - Tony Gilroy
Best Actress - Shohreh Aghdashloo
Best Supporting Actor - Chris Cooper
Best Supporting Actor - Lewis Alsamari
Best Original Screenplay