artistic pursuit

‘Wallis Island’ contemplates recapturing the past

Recapturing the past may be an enticing, seductive prospect, especially when it involves revisiting pleasant memories of days gone by. If nothing else, it can help to plug holes of loneliness and despair in our psyche, filling us with feelings of warmth and happiness. But is it realistically achievable or just wishful thinking? At most, it may only provide fleeting relief, not nearly enough to satisfy us for the long term or to resolve the source of the underlying anguish.

‘A Sinner in Mecca’ seeks to unravel an entangled paradox

“A Sinner in Mecca” (2015, 2020 re-release). Cast: Parvez Sharma. Director: Parvez Sharma. Screenplay: Sajid Akbar, Alison Amron and Parvez Sharma. Web site. Trailer. When faced with a paradox, it’s easy to lose hope. Circumstances may seem so inextricably entangled that it appears there’s no way to sort matters out. Indeed, it’s the kind of situation where it seems like only divine intervention can help. And it’s that kind of help that’s being sought by a seriously conflicted individual whose hopes, dreams and aspirations are caught up in a conundrum ostensibly incapable of being unraveled, the subject of the recently re-released documentary, “A Sinner in Mecca.” After the completion of his controversial debut feature, filmmaker Parvez Sharma became a marked [...]