Most of the film takes place in Asra’s house in Karachi; Danny and Marianne were to be there for just a few days while Danny tracked down a lead for an interview with a reclusive religious leader. Once Danny disappears, the house becomes the headquarters for the investigation.
In a fascinating making-of featurette, director Michael Winterbottom and cast members explain that the shooting was done in the confines of a real house (in India, actually), with a hand-held camera, and shot chronologically. So, as we see the characters’ relationships develop in the film, that’s what was actually happening between the actors in real life.
Danny himself is played by Dan Futterman, and seen early on before the kidnapping, then in flashbacks as Marianne remembers their life together. There’s enough of him to convey the idea that he was careful (poignantly, his early scenes include him visiting several different authorities in Karachi to ask their opinion about the wisdom of going for the interview; they all tell him that as long as he stays in public places, it should be fine), thorough, and a good man, good husband, good father-to-be.
The film also shows the importance of and necessity for cooperation between different groups: Marianne, Asra and their journalist friends; the embassy and FBI officials; the Pakistanis. Only by working together can they even get close to figuring out what’s happened to Danny.
In addition to the making-of featurette, there’s a segment on the Committee to Protect Journalists, a U.S.-based organization that tries to bring pressure to bear to protect journalists throughout the world. The sad statistics on the number of journalists killed in recent years illustrate just how monumental their job is. There’s also a public service announcement featuring CNN’s Christine Amanpour about the Daniel Pearl Foundation, an organization started by Danny’s family with the mission to “promote cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music, and innovative communications.” (http://www.danielpearl.org)
Technical specs: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English, French and Spanish; optional subtitles in the same languages.
A Mighty Heart contributes to cross-cultural understanding itself by dispelling stereotypes. Yes, there are most definitely bad guys, but they’re individuals, not entire ethnic groups. Some of the very good guys are of the same ethnicity as the bad guys. This film certainly doesn’t, and can’t, dispel the terrible tragedy at the root of its story. But it finds some cause for hope amid the horror.
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