Co-Pilot


 

Asli ( Canan Kir) is a Turkish/ German Muslim living in 1990s Hamburg. She leads a relaxed Westernised life as a medical student, a life which changes over a five year period after she meets a slightly more orthodox Arab Muslim Saeed (Roger Azar) who is Lebanese. 
She drinks and smokes and has non Muslim friends which he starts to disapprove of  but the couple embark on a sexual relationship which finally leads to marriage. 
Only then does Asli start to realise that Saeed is more fundamental in his beliefs than she once realised.

Co-Pilot , a film by German film maker Anne Zohra Berrached , feels a little flawed halfway through as Saeed’s path towards piloting one of the planes during the 9/11 attacks is clearly defined for the audience to see, even though his erratic yet loving relationship with his wife remains steadfast.
Would such a fundamental Muslim terrorist actually see his wife as his co pilot in life? especially one who smoked and drank without even a hint of  a hijab ? 

Unfortunately we see the drama unfold purely from Asli’s point of view. We understand nothing of Saeed’s motivations or his history ( save for one sequence when Asli strangely visits his rich, very liberal, matriarch led Lebanese family) and so I felt somewhat let down by the time the horrible truth is revealed to all. 

I must add that one particular scene did Berrached proud as a filmmaker .
On a wintery German street when the couple are courting, a love struck Asli pretends to be a plane with Saeed playfully piloting her…they run down the street then very slowly are raised into the night sky with the street falling gently away behind them . 
Ok a heavy metaphor for the co-pilot title, a reference to their marriage and a foreshadow to his terrorist future but a beautiful scene.

17 comments:

  1. I haven't seen the film, but from your review, it sounds like the film maker missed a trick not exploring Saeed's background. xx

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  2. i watched so many movies and documentaries about 9/11 within the last week that i have been a little down. i'd still like to see this nonetheless.

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  3. During the early 1980s I met a dishy foreign student at a disco but after going out for a while I became a bit worried that he kept showing me pictures he kept in his pocket of Aytolla Khomini-I was high on valium but realised he was a bit crazy and wanted to talk about him all night at the disco-Another boyfriend was called back home by his father to go in their army he was scared- another said he was here to study mechanics for automobiles and planes-they did seem to talk about religion more than I thought usual x

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    1. You have mad stories lol

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    2. He wore a snazzy hat John and smoked a hubbly bubbly pipe out of a big thingy in the corner(above kentucky fried chicken)x

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    3. countrygal8:31 pm

      flis I think we have met on another site, and offered to meet up and have a chat, do you still want to?

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    4. I can't remember that countrygal-I am wondering if it may be another flis you are thinking of-very kind though x

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  4. Barbara Anne8:17 pm

    I think I'll give it a miss but am glad the love story part kind of worked.
    Enjoy the rest of your holiday one day at a time!

    Hugs!

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    1. Not every film is a classic.
      I’m glad I went

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  5. I think you're probably right about the hole in the plot; but then again, people can be amazingly inconsistent.

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  6. This sounds like an interesting movie. It is amazing how some individuals live dual lives and then ultimately show their darkest side when innocent lives are lost and the world is shaken by the massive (9/11) loss and destruction.

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  7. I would like to see it but unfortunately it is not showing around here.

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