Out of the Frying Pan
Movie review of 'Unveiled'
Volume 4, Number 46
| November 17 - 23,
2005FILMUNVEILEDDirected
by Angelina MaccaroneDistributed by Wolfe
ReleasingOpens Nov. 18 at Cinema
VillageCourtesy
Wolfe ReleasingFariba (r) played
by Jasmin Tabatabai, an Iranian lesbian immigrant, takes advantage of a
man’s suicide to pose as a man and stay legally in Germany with Anneke Kim
Sarnau’s Anne in Angelina Maccarone’s “Unveiled.”
Out of the Frying
Pan“Unveiled”
crosses gender-bending and refugee politics in
EuropeBY SETH J.
BOOKEYUnlike comedies such as
“Some Like It Hot” or “Tootsie,” gender-bending dramas
have a more difficult time bearing their odd yet interesting fruit—one of
the weirdest being “Pope Joan” in which Liv Ullman takes advantage
of circumstances, poses as a man, and winds up the pontiff. And who could forget
Neil Jordan’s “The Crying Game”? Along with the shock and awe,
you wonder why no one seems to notice the gender
switch.Angelina Maccarone’s
“Unveiled” is no exception. Fariba (Jasmin Tabatabai), an Iranian
lesbian seeking refuge in Germany, takes advantage of a fellow
countryman’s suicide to pose as a man and stay legally in Germany after
convincing herself that it’s too risky to claim asylum by coming out to
the authorities . She has left behind in Iran her girlfriend who wilted in the
face of official oppression. Fariba refused to stop living her life as a
lesbian.And so, like Pope Joan
before her, she cuts her hair and poses as Siamak, facing the benign but
humiliating taunts of her factory co-workers who call her
“ayatollah.” A more threatening development occurs when these men
insist on a “boy’s night out” and set her up with a
stripper/hooker.Up until the time
Fariba is “unveiled,” the movie clock seems to plod along quite
slowly, but is sustained by the nervous tension of her worry of being
uncovered—as an illegal immigrant, as a woman, and as a lesbian. Low-lit,
sometimes grainy images amplify her dim
prospects.“Unveiled”
is probably best served by its original German title, “Fremde Haut,”
or “other skin,” as more of the movie takes place during the time
she’s posing as Siamak. The most interesting plot turn is Fariba’s
budding relationship with Anne (Anneke Kim Sarnau), who suspects something is
wrong and is hurt that Fariba is hiding
something.Once Fariba let’s
her cat out of its tightly secured bag, “Unveiled” suddenly became a
different, fast-paced film. Being able to talk to Anne and winning her
unconditional support makes all the difference in the world. Previously,
Fariba’s only connection to her old life came in writing Siamak’s
parents to let them know their son is okay. Even the music, until this point
mostly a forlorn acoustic guitar with some Eastern flavor thrown in, picks up
its pace and supports a “Thelma and Louise” moment between the
women.Like “Boys Don’t
Cry” before it, “Unveiled” proves that sometimes, total
disclosure is worth the risk, and sometimes, love and attraction transcend
gender to such a point that its conventions are practically rendered
meaningless.
Posted: Fri - November 18, 2005 at 10:34 PM
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Published On: Jun 20, 2009 07:04 PM
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