User Reviews

I had a chance to see "Fiasco" short film at the premiere in Orange, CA. The film had some technical issues, such as sound and color, but overall it's a very well done flick. The cast was good, featuring several new-comers and one international rising star: Navid Negahban. Navid Negahban stood out as an Arab father who has traditional middle-eastern values, but has something to hide in his "closet", too. The film makes fun of everyone around: gays, Arabs, federal officers, foreign femmes, and Russian mail-order brides. It was little too much stereotyping of certain characters. The gay guy was too "colorful" and at one point it was unclear is he homosexual or trans-gender, or a drug-queen with a bad makeup. Immigration agent was too dorky and very different from those mean and angry feds who work at your local federal building. The main character, an Arab girl who wants to stay in the U.S. despite all the problems she may face in the process, was over-acting in some scenes and displaying too much body movement (think "silent comedy", Chaplin...). Overall, "Fiasco" is an example of well produced short film with a mainstream value. Entertaining and cute.

"Fiasco," by Dodge College was a perfect depiction of life's unexpected turns and the human mind when it is left to deal with the buildup of these stressful and unexpected surprises and situations. Nora, a young Middle Eastern Arab woman has come to America and is living freely as an artist. The one thing holding her back from being completely free is a green card. Nora marries her gay friend and tries to frame a real relationship with him. The rising action begins when an unexpected visit is made by her extremely intimidating and conservative father. I believe the ambition level of this short film is to make a statement about life. When everything seems like it is crashing down on us and outside pressures are intimidating, it is important to remember we are all just human and to lighten up. I think this film is a success as it lively and artistically entertains us. It is colorful and entirely enthusiastic. While adding a comedic value, the film is also successful in making a serious/political statement. Nora has come to America to live freely as an artist but her passion is suppressed by her father who is a mold of the old fashioned Arab Middle Eastern ways, where a woman is not free to do what she wants. Nora has to completely hide her true self when her father spontaneously appears in her living room. When the pressure of hiding her true identity rises, Nora cracks and tells her father the truth of how she has been living. There is an unexpected surprise at the end of the movie, which is a reminder that we are all just human and not everyone is playing exactly by the rules, whether they are old fashioned or modern. In the twenty first century, modernity is not something that can be held in a box. The times are changing and so naturally old ways are gradually moderating. I give "Fiasco" 8 stars because I think it had some minor technical issues, but was overall a great flick!

The short film "Fiasco" is an example of the hectic crazy lives many of us lead today. Although we all experience times of pressure and "the world crashing down on us" it is always interesting to watch and see how others handle these situations. This film exhibits the natural human need to do what you want with your life, yet it reminds us how too often others can hold us back. We manipulate things to be just right and don't show our true colors. This is often at a risk of exposing our inner self to the world or those closest to us. Fiasco demonstrates how we sometimes forget that we are all playing the same games. Hiding our lives from others and lying to get ahead. Yet, telling others to "do as I say, not as I do." Noura is an Arab women trying to live in America where she greatly wants to stay. She will go to extremes to fulfill her passions and live where she wants to. While the film portrays her father as judgmental and holding her back, it is truly Noura who is her own worst enemy. She can choose what her life will be and how she will live it. When the "world comes crashing all at once" and the "fiasco" is in full play, Neuro realizes the true answer is to be herself. However, it is interesting to watch and see that just as in real life, the "fiasco" never truly seems to end. As they say, "if it's not one thing, it's something else!" I give this short film 9 stars. It is comical, entertaining, easy to identify with the stress Noura must be feeling and even more fun to watch her get it off her chest.

In this action packed short film written and directed by main character, Nadia Hamzeh, there is so much going on it is possible to get lost in the 17 minutes. While dealing with so many issues in such a short period of time, Hamzeh does a wonderful job of pulling them all together at the end of the film with the ultimate "uh oh". Understanding the first few minutes of the film may be somewhat confusing, but as the film ensues, so does the hilarity of Noura's situation. The tables turn, then turn again, ultimately making the viewer crack a smile or two. In such a short period of time, I have never seen so many different conflicts arise so quickly in one apartment. My head began to spin, as does Noura's at one point, until it all suddenly makes sense... sort of. 9 out of 10 in my book and a great short film with quite a lot going on.

Fiasco is a short film that depicts Nora, an Arab transplant to America introduced to us an artist who has married a gay man to obtain her green card. As the opening scene started, I found myself wondering if this was going to be the same old tale we have seen in various "I married for citizenship" comedies of the past. It started off a little corny and predictable as Nora grills gay Danny on family facts in preparation of an impending INS visit. Danny is portrayed as gay caricature in spandex with pink leggings and this continues for the duration of the film. What surprised me though as the film went on, was not the introduction of conflict in the form of a surprise visit by her father or the arrival of her crush for a first date, but the fun and fast paced method in which the actors performed and progressed through it. The strict and judgmental Arabic father, Danny the gay, and father's secret Russian wife are all played to exaggerated form, however the action is so fun and lively that I began to really not mind it so much. You are wondering how far is Nora going to go? This became especially entertaining as she wanders through the house swigging directly from a bottle of wine realizing the jig is definitely up. At Fiasco's climax, as the INS pays its not so surprising visit, Nora decides she has had it and turns a corny overacted story into something we can all relate to - we all want to live our lives in ways that make us happy. We all seek freedom from either over bearing parents or society's opinions of us - a clever nod to the subtle insertion that not even Danny's parents know he is gay. Fiasco is fun, sweet, and cute - not a bad way to spend 18 minutes.

For 17 minutes I am not sure what plot to follow, father vs daughter, Arab tradition vs American way, wife vs gay husband, illegal alien vs immigration official, girl vs date, gay vs his date, this film has it all. The setting the small apartment of a young Arabian artist who married her gay friend to get her green card. All this sounded really good until her traditional father, the immigration official and the man who she has a crush on all came to visit on the same night. Now she must try to figure out what to do next. This is a fun, light hearted film with a good plot and pretty decent acting. You really want to root for the girl hoping she can figure a way out, but as the plot thickens she seems to dig herself deeper and deeper. This film is properly name, fiasco!

What a fiasco. Perfect title to this film clip. Preparing for an interview on citizenship, father coming into town unexpectedly, living with a gay man, having a crush on someone and then everything falling down at once. It seems like dad had a bit of news also for his daughter. He enters her apartment and finds things that do not make sense to him nor how his daughter should be living. Is she going to medical school? Who is abiding by their customs? Not the daughter, not the father. Wow. How intense was this short clip. Her father is ready to blow his top right when his new bride walks in who looks just the same age as his daughter. Maybe this should have been titled "The Fast and and The Furious".