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Cast: Khaled Nabwy, Agnes Bruckner, William Atherton, Rizwan Manji, Cary Elwes
Yearning to leave behind his life of misfortune in the Middle East, Ibrahim Jarrah wins the U.S Green Card Lottery for a chance to become an American citizen. Ibrahim lands in New York City the day before 9/11... and the events of the September terrorist attacks forever shape the struggles he faces on his journey to capture the American dream.
"The Citizen" was inspired by true events, I am sure there are many personal stories this film could of came from. The story here focuses on Ibrahim Jarrah who comes to America from the Middle East after winning the U.S.. Green Card Lottery. His arrival is a day before that tragic 9/11. All Ibrahim wants is a better life and he is willing to work at getting it but after the terror attacks a day later his world is changed forever.
That day changed everyone's lives but for someone from the Middle East it became that much harder because of racial profiling. I am not going to sit here and give my personal views on politics here so I will stop talking about the plot now but I will say that "The Citizen" is a film about a man who struggles to adjust to a changed world, He is met with resistance and has many pit falls but his will to believe and just keep going is a testament to his faith and will power.
This is an extremely well made film. Production wise the film looks and sounds fantastic, even better than I expected it to. The story is full of emotion drama that can only work if you have a cast that can delivery on their roles and this one does ten fold. Khaled Nabwy is incredible as Ibrahim, He brings a wide rang of emotions to his character which really helps the audience gain feelings towards him. Agnes Bruckner is also brilliant as Diane, a young woman who befriends Ibrahim and sticks by him the entire time. The rest of the supporting cast all did a fantastic job as well.
"The Citizen" is a film that should not be missed, it not only shows the struggles many Middle Eastern people face today but it also shows the compassion and human spirit that exists as well. This is an inspirational tale of one man who doesn't give up on himself even when the cards are stacked against him.
You can visit the film's Official Site HERE to see when and where you can see the film.
9/11 changed all our lives forever but "The Citizen" reminds us of how great our country is. I loved everything this film, it is a touching, heartfelt, powerful drama that is carried out by an incredible cast, this is one film that needs to be seen.
Released by Monterey Media
**** Out Of *****