Ahrin Mishan Movies
Built in 1848, Midway Plantation was for many years one of the most celebrated homes in the Raleigh, NC area -- an antebellum mansion that stood as a reminder of the style and traditions of the old South. However, in late 2003, Charlie Silver, who had inherited the estate, made a decision that took many by surprise -- troubled by the encroaching urban sprawl, Silver decided to move the mansion and its outbuildings to a new and more peaceful location. Charlie and wife Dena planned to finance the relocation by selling roughly a third of vacant property to developers, but not everyone in his family supported this notion; the land had been owned by Silver's kin since 1740, and some relatives felt Midway should remain on its native soil. Film critic Godfrey Cheshire, who is Charlie's cousin, decided to make a film about the role of Southern plantations in American history, popular culture, and society, as well as the difficult project of moving the mansion. While documenting the relocation, Charlie and Godfrey became aware of a previously unknown chapter in their family's history; their great-great grandfather Charles Lewis Hinton, who built Midway, fathered a child with an African-American slave living on the property. As a consequence, Cheshire discovers the existence of dozens of African-American cousins who have their own perspective on Midway's legacy. Moving Midway offers a look at the nuts and bolts of moving a piece of North Carolina history, as well as the people whose lives are rooted in its past, and includes extensive interviews with Robert Hinton, Associate Director of African-American studies at New York University, whose family has roots in Midway. Moving Midway received its world premiere at the 2007 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Director Craig Lucas teams with screenwriter Elyse Friedman for this sociologically-slanted comedy drama concerning three eccentric siblings who were forced to grow up in an environment with no actual grown ups. In a typical family, the pattern usually goes something like this: Parents have children, children grow up, children move out, and family comes together for visits on holidays and special occasions. Unfortunately for Morrie Tanager, any concept of normalcy was thrown out the window when his parents died, and he was left to raise his two siblings Ida and Jay in the family home. These days Morrie shares the home with his wife Betty, Ida is a promiscuous artist who's always traveling despite the fact that she's perpetually broke, and Jay is a reclusive weirdo who frequently conducts antisocial experiments. All that the perpetually constipated Morrie wants out of life is to please his wife Betty. While it's been quite a while since siblings Morrie, Ida, and Jay have all been together under one roof, those familiar childhood dynamics quickly return when Ida comes knocking at the exact moment Jay goes supernova. As neurosis and instability suddenly cascades through the home like a dysfunctional Niagara Falls, Morrie and Betty suddenly find their delicate attempts to secure Morrie's tenure washed down the river right towards the big drop. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Perry, Ginnifer Goodwin, (more)
Ramin Serry explores such issues as global politics, ideological conflict, and puberty in this coming-of-age film about being an Iranian-American teenager during the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Maryam (Mariam Parris) longs to be just a normal New Jersey 16-year-old, but her traditionalist father Darius (Shaun Toub) keeps her on a short rein. Maryam's modest goal is further hampered when her Iranian cousin Ali (David Ackert) comes to stay with them. Though Ali's stridently fundamentalist views represent all that Maryam has come to resent, the two gradually form a friendship of sorts. Meanwhile, Ali's vehement anti-Shah beliefs, coupled with his knowledge of a dark family secret, creates tension between himself and Darius. At the same time, Maryam notices a change in her neighbors' reactions toward her family as the conflict in Iran grows ever more ugly. This film was screened at the 2000 L.A. Independent Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mariam Parris, Shaun Toub, (more)
American filmmaker Lodge Kerrigan (Clean, Shaven) directed this French production, set in New York. Dublin native Claire (Katrin Cartlidge of Naked and Career Girls) is a New York prostitute constantly working to eliminate her debt to menacing Roland Cain (Colm Meaney), who's known her since she was a child. After the death of her mother, Claire sets out to unleash her pent-up feelings and gain control of her life. She meets a guy in a bar and has sex, is befriended by calm cabbie Elton (Vincent D'Onofrio), visits her Newark cousin, plays with her niece, and eventually tells Elton that she wants to have a baby. Atonal score by Ahrin Mishan and Simon Fisher. Shown in competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katrin Cartlidge, Vincent D'Onofrio, (more)
