In
Ukraine, opponents of forced Russification organized a boycott of Nestlé when it
was reported the Swiss company black-balled a Ukrainian-speaking presenter from
a cooking show its Nesquik brand sponsored. Syed Aamir Raza, a former Nestlé
salesman in Pakistan would recommend they start with the baby formula. Oscar
winning Bosnian filmmaker Danis Tanović tells his whistleblower story Tigers (trailer here), which screened
during the 2016 Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival in New York.
Arguably,
Tigers is a bit of a ringer for the
Bosnian-Herzegovinian festival, but Tanović (an Oscar winner for No Man’s Land in 2001) is arguably the most
prominent director in Bosnia-Herzegovina and perhaps even the entire region of
Southeast Europe. He has always been a supporter of the New York festival,
which is quite cool. Any festival that has a chance to program his latest film
should take advantage of the opportunity. In any event, it screened last night,
so here we are.
Ayan
is the thinly fictionalized analog of Raza. After scuffling as a rep for a
Pakistani generic drug company, Ayan thinks he has finally made it when he talks
his way into a job with Nestlé. Make that Lasta. In a twist of the meta framing
device, the filmmakers developing a movie treatment of Ayan’s life quickly
decide they had better use a fictional company name if they want to get the
project green-lighted.
Of
course, Ayan proceeds to sell the heck out of Lasta’s baby formula. However,
when Dr. Faiz, one of his first Lasta conquests, returns from a course of
advanced study in Karachi, he brings first-hand experience linking Lasta
formula with fatal diarrhea and dehydration. To be scrupulously honest, the formula
is technically safe in and of itself. However, it is a different story when the
formula is mixed with impure water, which is highly likely to happen in
infrastructure-challenged provincial Pakistan. Needless to say, Ayan’s supervisors
are not exactly proactive when it comes to explaining the risk. Yet, much to
Dr. Faiz’s surprise, Ayan decides to act on his information, seeking allies in
the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European media.
Tigers has all the grit
of Tanović’s previous films, but it has the flavor of South Asian/Indian
Parallel cinema, holding the distinction of being Bollywood idol Emran Hashmi’s
first non-Bollywood role. He is indeed quite intense and un-movie star-like as
Ayan. His character is certainly a whistle-blower, but he is not a saint, which
leads to some very realistic complications.
Former
model Geetanjali Thapa continues to specialize in issue-oriented indie dramas (like
I.D. and the even more depressing Liar’s Dice) as his ever faithful and
inspiring wife Zainab. Frankly, it is rather strange to find Danny Huston not
playing a villain, but he supplies periodic energy boosts as Alex, the
prospective producer. It is similarly mind-blowing to see former “Bond Girl”
Maryam d’Abo (the cellist in The Living
Daylights) playing a sanctimonious NGO bureaucrat, but she is indeed appropriately
scoldy as Maggi from WHO.
