It occurred to me that the first episodes and images in "Breach" have a greater message to the U.S. audience than the message of "treason" in the movie as a whole.The message is "we are protecting you from the Arab suspects."
After a long day at work, Emily and I decided to go to the movies. I suggested we watch the newest movie of Eddie Murphy and Emily suggested "Breach" which we finally agreed on.
The movie started with images of a U.S. official announcing that the FBI arrested one of its agents, Robert Hanssen, who in secret was selling secrets to the Soviet Union. The next episode was of an Arab woman wearing the Muslim scarf being monitored by FBI agents as she was talking in Arabic to her husband in the street. That was it. She was neither arrested nor shot. The FBI agent shot some pictures for her and left with his team in a car hidden behind a big tree. A good message to start the movie with!
It is funny how the U.S. movies has joined the world of propaganda these days brainwashing the Americans about how Arabs are number one suspects in the U.S. now. They reminded me with Arab propaganda movies that warn the Arab people from the Americans and the Israelis.
What a coincidence!
It's known in the Arab world that Cairo is the "Hollywood of the Arabs". The Egyptian movies are the most popular in the entire Arab homeland. Egyptian movies are widely viewed by Arabs everywhere. The most recent Egyptian movie I watched is called "The Night of Baghdad Fall." It's a comedy that provides the audience with a clear message: "America is coming to destroy your countries. Be ready!". As far as I know the US embassy in Cairo expressed its utmost opposition against this movie since it shows the Arab anger when the US occupied Iraq and because there were episodes in the movie urged the Arabs to have a huge effective weapon to protect their country with when the Americans come to occupy it. There were even episodes of how a group of Egyptian people gather in an illegal training camp shooting at a line of dolls dressed up in a US military uniform.
Maybe some people will think that it was only a two-minute episode of the woman in "Breach" while it is a two-hour movie about the US occupation. I think they have the same effect. Sometimes fewer words are more effective than a two-page essay!
Mutual sensitivity between the two sides has reached its peak, in my opinion. Media and cinema here and there try to show each other as the enemy. Only the peoples of these two sides are the only losers. Neither Arabs nor Americans feel completely comfortable in each other's country. I wonder if there will be a day when movies concentrate on love, peace, and respect to everyone no matter what his/her relegion, sect, country or belief is.
Anyways, I am doing my best to always be as smiley as I am so that when the FBI are monitoring me as I am walking to school, the picture they shoot looks nice.
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