Review by Tom Atkinson
Stars Bobby Naderi, Noureen DeWulf, Dominic Rains, Nav Mann, Volkan Eryam, Denise George, Anne Leighton,
Rasika Mathur, John Charles Meyer
Written by Michael Muhammad Knight & Eyad Zahra
Certification UK 15 | US R
Runtime 83 minutes
Directed by Eyad Zahra
Punk. Fast and furious, right? Two minute blasts of filth and fury so intense they leave you gasping, oblivious even to the mohicaned lunatic pissing down your leg, right? Well, according to the world of the Taqwacores, it's perhaps not quite the 1977 Sid Vicious cliche that we're used to seeing on TV.
That's because, first of all, the Taqwacore punks are based in modern day America. Buffalo to be precise, which, as one of the group points out, makes them 'the coldest Muslims on the planet". Oh yes, that's the other thing- these punks are all practising Muslims, reading from the Qu'ran and observing prayer times, decked out in leather jackets and ripped jeans. Sure, they're smoking joints and blasting out electric guitars while they do it, but, as you'll see, when the punk ideals and Islam collide, things start to get very interesting indeed.
The narrative follows Yusef, a first generation Pakistani engineering student who moves into a house with fellow Muslims- many of whom just happen to be punks. At first he’s shocked by their appearance and behaviour- not least that of the amazingly coiffed leader, Jehangir (played by Dominic Rains)- but slowly comes to see them as making valid interpretations of his own faith that are often more useful than the strict readings of less than friendly muscle- boy Umar. It’s an interesting journey to watch, slowly unfolding over the school seasons with plenty of humour and punk attitude, most of which comes from the brilliant character Rabeya, played by The Back Up Plan’s Noureen DeWulf.
Not that you’d know it, because she spends almost the whole film wearing a burkha and expertly making stuffy Yusef feel awkward by talking frankly (and funnily) about sex, masturbation and vaginas. In fact, we only get one very brief glimpse of the face under the veil in the film’s final scene, and by the time you get to that, everything is a bit of a blur in the cinematic equivalent of a punch in the face. That scene sees the culmination of Jehangir’s plan to stage a Taqwacore concert at the house they share, uniting the bands of this emerging scene on the east side of America for the very first time.
Watching the characters try to achieve that, while struggling with the demands of their religion that pretty much forbids sex and drugs and rock and roll (and plenty of other things), makes for a genuinely challenging film, and creates characters that warm and grow as the film progresses. It’s also a refreshing change to see Muslim characters on screen who aren’t playing evil Jihadis or stock stereotypes, engaging honestly and hilariously with the difficulties of being a young American Muslim.
Now that really is punk.