No. 86. (2019) Slam. September 30th.

Film No 86 (2019) Sept. 30th.  6:45 PM  LUNA PALACE Leederville. 

"Muslim girls just don't go missing" (A throw away line from a nameless detective discussing the disappearance of Ameena Nasser).

A drama with an ironic twist which asks questions about western prejudices when a missing person report is made but the missing person is a first generation Australian of Islamic decent with a propensity to talk publicly (Slam) about her beliefs. Slam quintessentially defines the meaning of the term Islamophobia. And to good effect, might I say. Our focus is with Ricky Nasser (Adam Bakri) as he learns from his frantic mother, that his sister Ameena is missing. Ameena is an articulate advocate for her faith and gaining equality in her society. Ricky is thrown into a nightmare of emotions. He's frantic for the health of his sister but in these times of threats to national security and the sensationalization of media outpourings, he is the definition of "man in a mess" because of his conflicting loyalties. Excellent performances, from the very talented Rachel Blake (Lantana) as a compassionate police officer dealing with her own demons and Rebecca Breeds (3 Summers) as Ricky's devoted wife, give Slam polish. I really hope Partho Sen-Gupta gets the audience, internationally, he totally deserves for this break-out film. 10GUMS.