This country's full of wankers dressed in sheets, asylum f***ing seekers in our streets

August 3, 2005 10:17 AM

Jihad, terrorism and asylum - in rhyme and iambic pentameter (small QT movie, some profanity) A Middle-Eastern chef and a xenophobic Northern English cook argue about war, bombs and asylum seekers - in the kind of flowing verse one might expect from Shakespeare. It's from British indie director Sally Potter and quite apposite, representing the kind of debates which are going on following the London bombings.
posted by tobyslater (6 comments total)

An ignorant schmuk versus an educated man. That represents nothing other than a director's insulting preconcieved notion of the multitude of positions in the debate over immigration, integration and assimilation.
posted by srboisvert at 10:31 AM on August 3, 2005

I'll wait to see the whole movie before I count this one out. Looks interesting.
posted by es_de_bah at 11:00 AM on August 3, 2005

The movie's a good one, in my opinion - flawed, yes, but thought-provoking, lyrical and very well acted. However, the kitchen scenes are probably the weakest in the film. They're certainly more multilayered than this clip suggests, but they're still not personally convincing in the way much of the rest of the film is. A little too simplistic, populated with stereotypes more than characters.

(However, they're nowhere near as bad as the cringe-inducing Oirish accent one character does at the end, which very nearly ruins the entire film...)
posted by flashboy at 11:21 AM on August 3, 2005

Oooh! Sally Potter film. I loved Orlando, must give this one a gander then. Ta for the tip.
posted by dabitch at 11:43 AM on August 3, 2005

Did I just say gander? *Shakes head at self**
posted by dabitch at 11:45 AM on August 3, 2005

One of the comments on IMDB talks about it as the first screenplay in iambic pentametre, but I had heard a rumour that David Mamet has written blank iambic pentametre into his films - perhaps his was just more subtle.

But yes, Orlando is brilliant - nothing like the novel, but wonderful in its own different way.
posted by jb at 8:12 PM on August 3, 2005