MY SON THE FANATIC examines the varying degrees to which members of a Muslim family view the magnitude of their religion. The twist to this tale is that it is not the parents who proclaim a more traditional approach, but it is their only son who becomes 'Born Again' in Allah. This young college student falls under the influence of a Pakistani religious figure, and begs his parents to sponsor this man and bring him to their English home. Soon, Farid has discarded his English girlfriend who is the daughter of a prominent town official, and adopts a life of prayer and study. Parvez, the boy's father, has lived happily, but not all that successfully, in Britain for over twenty five years by putting in long hours behind the wheel of a cab. He has, if not embraced, but most certainly accepted many of the decadent ways of the west, and in his tiny basement study, he relaxes with American Jazz and nips at a bottle of scotch. He is basically estranged from his wife, and strikes up a friendship with a local prostitute, and helps organize her clients. Soon, he finds himself falling in love with her. The whole dysfunctional social-familial network collapses when the fundamentalist Muslim group, energized by the new leader, tries to rid the town of the 'ladies of the night'. Many parts of this film are moving and affecting, but never sentimental. Both the relationship between the cab driver and the young prostitute, and the strained, yet engaging love that Parvez has for his son, are deeply touching. One of my favorite parts of this film deals with a novel way that the end of the film is structured. Although the movie has ended, and the credits have begun to roll, the action continues and we watch as the forlorn cab driver turns on every light in his empty house, and sips whiskey on the stairway while listening to Jazz. I thought this was an extremely clever way to end the film which created a kind of 'emotional after-image'.
Review of My Son the Fanatic
