(Note from the editor: Farah Goes Bang is the first of several reviews AsAmNews will be featuring in the coming week from CAAMFest in San Francisco. Farah plays March 14 at the Pacific Film Archive Theater in Berkeley at 7 pm and at the Sundance in San Francisco March 16 at 2pm)
By Bhargavi Chevva
Think back to fall 2004. The country was in the midst of a chaotic election campaign, with John Kerry running against President Bush. It was a different world back then, before the ubiquitous presence of iPods, smart phones, Facebook, and Twitter in our lives.
This world is perfectly captured in Farah Goes Bang, a road-trip comedy that centers on the friendship between three young women, each wrestling with her own post-college issue, as they canvass across America for Kerry. Farah (Nikohl Boosheri), the film’s namesake, struggles to overcome her sexual history – or, rather, lack thereof – with encouragement from her best friends, K.J. (Kandis Erickson) and Roopa (Kiran Deol).
Given that loss-of-virginity adventure movies usually star male protagonists, the feminist departure Farah Goes Bang takes is refreshing. Though the characters discuss the pressures of society – from slut-shaming to virgin-deriding – their sexual journeys are progressed on their own terms.
In the beginning of the movie, Roopa motivates her friends for their upcoming campaign with this speech: “This election is our 1968…this is our Vietnam…I will be damned if our generation lets this one get away!” She looks to the past to find a purpose for their future and uses John Kerry as her default role model. Even though we know the outcome of the election from the beginning, it is still delightful to relive the journey through these characters.
The portrayal of female friendships is realistic, due to a product of good writing, directing, and acting. The characters are developed extremely well and the three actors bring them to life. The chemistry between the women is incredible – you can see why they are friends, despite their vastly different backgrounds.
Relatability of the characters is one of the film’s super strengths. For example, you may not be the daughter of Iranian immigrants itching to lose your virginity but you will relate to Farah through other dimensions: whether it is discomfort with her body, her unwavering support for her friends or her search for a hero. As the film progresses, the three women uncover their political and sexual identities – an experience shared by most of us. This is a story that needs to be told, as it contains narratives of Iranian American and Indian American women, usually lost in the mainstream. This also is a quintessential American story.
I try to avoid going into a movie with high expectations. More often than not, I end up coming out of the movie disappointed. I’m happy to say, however, that Farah Goes Bang was an exception. Even though it was highly anticipated, this Meera Menon directorial debut met and exceeded my expectations!
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