The Infidel

The Infidel

I found this to be a hilarious comedy. The concept is so bizarre and very funny. Omid Djalili is a comedian in his real life. Apparently he often pokes fun at racial and religious tensions. He is the perfect actor for this role and he does a great job.

He plays the part of Mahmud, an English Muslim Pakistani. He is moderate in his beliefs. He has a beautiful wife and adorable daughter. She loves to play a game of jihad. His son is a devout Muslim. He wants to marry his girlfriend but needs to get approval from the girlfriend’s stepfather. The problem is that the stepfather is a devout fanatic.

There is tension in the neighborhood with the taxi driver across the street. He is Jewish and Mahmud and the taxi driver constantly bicker.

Mahmud is cleaning out his late mother’s house and discovers a paper that states he is adopted. Mahmud discovers his parents were Jewish and his real name is Solly Shimshillewitz.

Mahmud knows nothing about being Jewish. Secretly he wants to get more knowledge on the topic. He even engages his Jewish neighbor across the road to instruct him. Mahmud seeks information in the computer. His neighbor gives him Portnoy’s Complaint by Phillip Roth to read.

There is a lot of humor in his attempt to see himself as a Jew. He keeps imaging things and picturing himself as a Jew. When his daughter sneezes he thinks he hears “a Jew” instead of the actual sound. He thinks he hears his daughter ask him to tie up her ‘Jew” instead of shoe. Yes, it sounds silly but it is handled so well. It is quite a riot. The neighbor teaches him to have mannerisms and to say “oh vey”.

I loved the market scenes. Mahmud can be seen walking on the street. In the background you also see the Muslim women fully clad in their black garb. He also passes Hasidic Jews on the road.

The neighbor takes Mahmud to a Bar Mitvah and pretends he is his cousin. The whole scene was ‘over the top’

The concept is what makes the film very funny. At the same time I couldn’t help but wonder what someone would do if they found out they were born into a very different culture. Many people found out after the war that they were really Jewish. It was traumatic to say the least. How do you go about acclimatizing to a new culture? What is at stake?

The film also points out the ignorance that one group has against another.

Mahmud’s wife cannot handle the issue. At one point she leaves him. The wedding is called off and the son is in misery. Mahmud is in inner turmoil.

I liked the fact that this absurd story was told with such humor. I also found it interesting from a psychological perspective to observe how Mahmud handled the situation.

I enjoyed the film thoroughly. I had a good laugh. The acting was extremely well done.