Park 51, written and directed by Christopher Capelluto, is a thoughtful film that calls for deeper connection and understanding between different communities. It is about sacrifice and belief, even in the face of violence and intolerance. The film follows Matt (Graham Powell), a struggling Iraq war veteran suffering from PTSD, who saves the life of a Muslim man who’s New York City convenience store is attacked by assailants protesting against the building of the polarizing Park 51 Islamic community center near Ground Zero. The 2010 protests, the real backdrop upon which the film takes place, encapsulate the societal tensions at the time and the vitriol directed, by some members of the American public, towards the Islamic community in the city.
Park 51 does a fantastic job of establishing its atmosphere early. Immediately, we are taken down below the Manhattan skyline, where darkness and rain dominate the first scenes of the film. This is a post-9/11 world, where the air is full of disorientation and confusion. Matt sits in front of projected images: conflict, gun shots, soldiers, hospital rooms. He is an embodiment of the destabilization of war and the difficulty of healing divides, inspired by the writer-director’s personal experience. Now working as a bartender, Matt is plagued by his experiences and drinks his way through the trauma.
The film, at its core, is about the power of human empathy to overcome hatred. It taps into the motivation deep within each person to build relationships across social and cultural divides. Matt is not a perfect man, he’s not depicted as being heroic or saintly, but he is able to fight the prejudice of those around him, and even within himself, to move towards a tender solution. The broken elements of American society are front and center in the film, but all is not hopeless. Park 51 does a good job of emphasizing the seriousness of the political situation, the danger and threat, but also the potential to overcome it.
The lead performances from Graham Powell and Al Nazemian are enduring and impressively draw you into the tension and the locality of the story. Powell, in particular, is capable as the distressed and disturbed Matt, faced with an increasingly confusing world defined by anger and explosiveness. Adding to this, the cinematography, by Isaac Hughes Green, is crisp and moody: there is also an interesting use of video footage and shadows. Some of the written dialogue isn’t always convincing, and occasionally lines are awkwardly delivered, which, compounded by some inconsistent sound recording and editing, breaks some of the immersion of the film. But, overall Park 51 feels measured and authentic.
Park 51 is a sensitive film that deals with complex subjects, the Iraq war, the 9/11 bombings and Islamophobia, in a tactful way. It is technically accomplished and, though made in 2013, still resonates with its call towards kindness and embrace. The film depicts business and family life in the face of violence and vandalism; the experience of being pushed from doing what you love and believing what you believe, but remaining strong nonetheless.
Park 51, though never claiming to be the definitive word on the subject, offers a helpful language. . . to process and rebuild.
