It’s hard to find good movies these days. Formulaic plots abound. Happy endings are apparently mandatory, even when they’re not warranted. And the obligatory love story has been mixed into almost everything we see. Will Hollywood ever learn? Perhaps not. And that’s part of the reason why the North American market for good foreign movies continues to grow.

The Terrorist comes from India (English subtitles). It stars Ayesha Dharkar as Malli. She is a pretty, nineteen-year-old girl who is part of a revolutionary army. While she has a kind and almost innocent appearance, she is passionately driven for her cause. When an enemy is captured at the outset of the film, Malli immediately steps up and performs the execution. When a soldier must undergo a suicide mission to assassinate a diplomat, Malli is eager for the job. She’s unlike any character we’ve seen on screen before.

The audience is not told much about the cause Malli’s involved in, but this is likely intentional because the details are not relevant. This is not a story about a particular cause; it is a story about passion for a cause and about the extremes people will go to in order to achieve their goals. Malli kills, but many in the audience won’t automatically label her a murderer. And when she’s about to sacrifice her life, the audience understands that, to her, it is the greatest thing she can do. The director quietly follows her during her preparation, leading you along a riveting path that will have you on the edge of your seat until the moment when the button must be pressed.

You’ll have a tough time finding The Terrorist at the major theaters, and that’s really unfortunate because this film is heads and shoulders above most of what Hollywood has released this year. It wholeheartedly deserves its **** rating and may even deserve more. Make sure you see it.

• Go Back