A Mighty Heart

Soul meets soul on lover's lips"    Percy Bysshe Shelly

First a disclaimer to prepare readers for my obvious bias. I`ve got this thing for Angelina Jolie (don`t tell Brad) and I`m pretty much impressed by any acting she does. Guilty! And I`m a sucker for a great "Love Story" which "Mighty Heart" is in spades. Suspense, Intrigue, Angelina and a great Love Story. Now that`s movie chemistry!!

Jolie plays journalist Mariane Pearl, the widow of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman), who was kidnapped and murdered by jihadists in 2002. Its a shame that we know Daniel Pearle`s fate before the movie starts but the intense pace of this story conceived by Director Michael Winterbottom is amazing. For 5 weeks Marianne Pearle (Jolie) and Karachi Police track Daniel Pearle`s kidnappers and its so well done that I`m actually hoping that they rewrite the story and save this guy`s ass. And they come so close!

The movie really tells two stories. One is of the boundless love and devotion of two people from a world that I could embrace with passion.   "But our differences in background and in culture make us well matched. We know naturally when to hold back and let the other speak. I make Danny laugh to help him forget his worries; I make sure there is silence when he concentrates. And we engage each other in endless philosophical debates -- about truth and courage, about how to fight preconceived ideas, about how to learn from and respect other cultures." A Mighty Heart, pg.5, Marianne

And the second story considers the horrors of terrorism and the frantic desperation of losing your soulmate into the bottomless pit of a "neverland" we can`t imagine. Karachi, Pakistan becomes a manic version a third world "Crank". Like doing good "acid" at rush hour but its like this every day and night. Hordes of people, commerce and survival wrapped up in an urban nightmare. This will definitely not be a fairy tale full of happy endings.

This movie avoids exploitation and sensationalism and doesn`t seem to take sides but its heartfelt "love story" and emotional loss is something that crosses the barriers of hate and politics. Everyone can feel for loss at this level and nobody should be able to accept corruption of innocence like this for politics. Its pretty damn frustrating to imagine that anybody could slaughter my love in the name of God or Allah. A jihad by sword corrupts a jihad of the heart and soul. And everybody seems to lose.

Jolie`s total immersion in this role keeps the movie`s rush of detail on an even keel. We feel her pain on the news of Pearle`s death (its pretty sensational acting) and you`l need your crying towel for the next few minutes. But Marianne Pearle maintains a superhuman grace in grief as she holds Daniel Pearle`s spirit close. Its a truly haunting reverence for a power of the human spirit to overcome loss in the presense of senseless evil.

You need to see this movie to appreciate how Winterbottom and Jolie honor the spirit of Daniel and Marianne Pearle`s love and commitment to each other and a greater good. A Mighty Heart is a fitting eulogy for a love that deserves to live forever!

Comments

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