FARAH GOES BANG – The SLIFF 2013 Review

Review by Dana Jung

The year is 2004. Three weeks before the presidential election, Farah (Nikohl Boosheri) leaves Los Angeles with her two best friends K.J. (Kandis Erickson) and Roopa (Kiran Deol) to hit the campaign trail for John Kerry. But there is a lot more going on than political idealism on this cross-country road trip, and all three young women will learn some life lessons before Election Day.

FARAH GOES BANG, the funny and sometimes touching new film directed and co-written by Meera Menon, follows the conventions of the typical road movie while also perfectly capturing the sense of disenchantment that much of the country’s youth felt during the war in Iraq. Farah is a first-generation American of Persian heritage. Overly focused (some would say obsessed) with her face and body image, Farah has two main goals at this point in her young life: to help end the war by getting Kerry elected, and to lose her virginity. While Roopa’s zestful activism fuels Farah’s first objective (“Get off your ass and stop watching AMERICAN IDOL!” she yells at a college crowd), K.J. gently chides her with commentary and advice on the “sex thing.” As the three friends drive from state to state, going door-to-door for their grassroots campaigning, they meet a wide variety of people who change them in small but meaningful ways. From the Korean War veteran with a daughter in Iraq, to a loudmouthed bigot, the women soon learn that talking politics is not so simple.

The strengths of the film lie in its strong and natural performances by the three leads, in the intelligent and realistic dialog, and in the subtle ways it juxtaposes its main themes. For example, there are parallels drawn between Farah’s quest to lose her virginity, and the loss of political innocence that all the women experience in one way or another. Another big plus is the humorous and sometimes raunchy conversations the women have—this is a road movie, after all, so a lot of the film is shot inside a moving car. The script also has an easy flow with a solid grip on its characters, so that the politics are leavened with a sense of fun and self-deprecation that is refreshing. When they pass a roadside stand, K.J. says “Let’s stop and get some fireworks!” to which Roopa replies, “That’s the most patriotic thing I’ve ever heard you say.” But the film is never boring, and follows the adventures of the three until the day after the election. Knowing that outcome, it is inspiring to see such a finely tuned portrayal of young America at the time. In one captivating scene, we watch the women sit spellbound as then-Senator Obama delivers his speech at the Democratic Convention–an astute political observation of how the seeds planted by these young people would reach fruition in the next four years.
More than just a movie about female bonding, FARAH GOES BANG is a testament to the mood swing of social change during the last decade, and a charming and witty portrait of the next generation of potential leaders the nation has to offer.

FARAH GOES BANG screens Friday, Nov 22nd at 7:00pm at the Tivoli Theater as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival

For ticket information, go to Cinema St. Louis’ site HERE

http://www.cinemastlouis.org/farah-goes-bang