Indie Gems: The Believer

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Know your enemy.

Anyone who thinks Ryan Gosling's talent came out of nowhere is sorely mistaken. This 2001 Sundance hit proves that he always had that talent, even at a young age.

Danny (Gosling) is an anti-Semitic man who's world views catch the eyes of a powerful group. The big secret is Danny is actually Jewish, and he's been fighting with his religion and self-loathing for years.

When I first started watching this film, I was afraid it would remind me too much of American History X and not be able to stand on it's own. While there were some comparisons, The Believer definitely delivered on a different level. While I say AHX is a better film, Believer really captures the conflict that Danny is having as his hides his true identity from his new group of friends. It was different for me to watch Gosling be a complete asshole at the beginning of the film, I enjoyed that change of pace. Gosling has range, and while I love watching all of his newer projects, it's nice to take a step back and look at where he came from.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "How can you say all this when you, yourself are Jewish?" - Guy Danielson (A.D Miles)

Comments

  1. Candice FrederickMarch 3, 2012 at 11:06 AM

    you just reminded me of this movie. totally forgot about this. i should check this out.

    ReplyDelete

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