Reviews

I met Parvez Sharma and some members of his cast and crew in 2001 at a local low-key fund-raiser hosted by neighbours in the Shaw neighbourhood of Washington, DC. He was a very mild-mannered man with deep sensitivity and insight.

At that juncture, the documentary - although completed in the raw - was still caught-up in the lengthy process of editing with a dire need of funding to ready it for a forthcoming film festival. Needless to say - the completed work - albeit not ready was shown in sections. It was quite obvious that the projected finished result was indeed going to be a very moving and telling testament to the "gay" lifestyle - especially within the Islamic Communities ... worldwide.

As I had met some of the featured personalities - I felt a certain connection with the sensitive nature of my homosexual friends and co-workers. My profession as a "straight" hairdresser places me in direct contact with the creative and sensitive - often highly emotional people - many sorely affected by the stigma attached to them. For many - an almost certain death penalty awaits them upon return to their respective countries.

Over the past decade or so - where we have seen many outspoken men and women emerge from their secret lives within fanatical Islam - their heads bowed down in shame ... until ... courageous people such as Parvez Sharma decided to stand up and be counted - by disclosing their often unexplained lifestyles and their continued love and adherence to their religion.

As I stated, having been a hairdresser (socio-political/community activist) most of my life - along with long periods of detention within Moçambique and South Africa - I have often been on hand to witness the subcultures within unexplained internment - where helplessness, lack of courage, strength and self-esteem might well have pushed them into this often viewed "deviant" lifestyle - regardless of religious affiliation or depth of religious conviction.

Where there was a large number of Muslims - there too did homosexuality become commonplace - often with Muslim men connecting only with Muslim men. So, did we see many of these men cleave to their religion - often making salah or fasting during Ramadhan - steering clear of pork, drugs and alcohol.

One could not help but wonder - yet admire them for retaining a very intrinsic part of their culture - for often, in such ignominious surroundings do we see lesser beings succumb ... fall prey to more self-destructive practices ... even death.

It would indeed be interesting to uncover which is worse in the eyes of the fundamentalists within the Muslim world; the despised homosexual who may lead a somewhat deviant lifestyles - tolerated ... albeit frowned upon - for regardless of their sexual proclivity - yet do they love and adhere to most of the tenements of their faith or alternatively - those "free-thinkers" who make their own assessment of certain situations - contrary to the vapid condemnation of the Jamaat-ul-Ulima who's role it is to enforce draconian misogynist doctrines of Sharia Law - fatwa's included? Here we have feminists, communists, socialists ... people of conscience ... murtad one and all ...

That said; which is more perverse - to love another of one's own gender - or to kill innocent people with impunity - all in the name of furthering one's sectarian faith - whether it be Islam or Christianity or Judaism or upholding one's traditional culture - at all cost? For those Muslims who freely condemn - advocate the issuing of fatwa's upon those who drift away from the heralded "chosen" path - I say open your myopic eyes and educate yourself by attending a screening of this very poignant documentary. Then, and only then will you be qualified to opine, reject or condemn if you so choose - the evidence in this very touching documentary.

To Parvez, what can I say but Shukran/Motehshakeram ... Mubarrak ...

There is nothing doubtful about the actions or intentions of self-proclaimed "altruistic" humanitarian ex-pats who share an equal disconnect between their from their "old" colonial world and the new developing ones - while manipulating and using gullible women to serve their macho prowess.

In the varied movies covering Africa, the Pacific, Indian sub-continent we usually see characters who lack any sizeable depth - fickle at best become the protagonist. It is very difficult to feel any sympathy or real anger to bear for these men are nothings - having not proved themselves to be of any character of worth.

Similarly, in Before The Rains we hardly see any real clash of worlds colliding in Kerala, India - for the Englishman's character shows no redeeming quality. - for he's so much like so many other opportunistic colonial types - taking advantage of the natives - in many more ways than one ...

The planter and would-be road constructor has an illicit affair with his hapless housekeeper - a very comely Indian women from a nearby village - while his assistant - a somewhat educated Indian man from the same village is almost forced to act as cover for his comings and goings - with no way of standing up against or objecting to his master's involvement with this very lovely married women - arranged married to a brutal misogynist. His somewhat elevated status overshadows his deep cultural ties with his own people. He forgets who he is - from whence he came for he has sold his soul to the devil - the British Raj who are facing their final days in their lengthy control of India.

The colonial argument of old, was that as Indians were often viewed as nothing more than "coolies" by the ex-pats (subjects of The Crown) - indentured labour in the colonies; the women - often taken advantage of, were doing nothing more than fulfilling their subservient duty of serving. Many were fooled into believing that their "white" lovers (often married) really cared for them - loved them and were going to leave their wives - often back in England and take them away from their lowly village lifestyles - back to England or into luxurious lifestyles in the cities.

In most cases, these women are oblivious to the "no-strings" relationships these ex-pats have with "native" women - for it is become a known fact that women love with emotion - whereas self-serving men love with passion and lust.

As they have nothing with which to compare their current lifestyles to - as opposed to the "new" ones promised them - they, in their innocence - become all the more ignorant of their lot in life - that of mere concubines ... to be used, abused and cast away ...

Who then are the real misogynists - the controlling brutal husbands - tied to old cultural ways or these free-loving ex-pats with their "hit and run" licentious ways?

To this day, do we still see this type of exploitation taking place in various regions of the world. And yet, people many worlds removed wonder why there is so much mistrust, animosity and hatred for foreigners who suddenly arrive in these somewhat innocent countries (for whatever reason) en masse ...

Washington, DC 5/16/08

This movie had the potential of being great - what with us going well over budget ($52mill) We had the stars - most being very professional but with two major flaws - with incompetents such as Douglas Hickox and Peter O'Toole (directly responsible for the over-budgeting) 2nd Unit Director, David Tomblin and Peter Mc Donald - 2n Unit film Director were largely responsible for saving the production - in many more ways than one.

Our skeleton crew had to re-shoot many scenes. It took a lot of serious brainstorming and communication with the amaZulu to be able to complete this very important depiction of one of many battlers that took place between the "natives" and the invading colonialist (Boer & British) armies.

The passion, pathos, emotion and pain of reliving this momentous battle had an immense effect on myself, especially as I was one of the isiZulu Interpretors and Liaison people - as well as one of the second assistants.

The scenery may well have been spectacular; but working in such close/intimate - trusting proximity with 6000 amaZulu warriors was an experience beyond all comprehension.

I still regard this movie to be a very valuable one - especially since the fall of the previous South African regime and highly recommend it.