The War Within

THE WAR WITHIN is a chilling and frightening tale of a Pakistani family torn between the "American dream" and the love and affection for a family member whose religious zeal and goal to destroy America will tear them apart. Joseph Castelo has directed and written a very important film which hopefully will receive a wide audience to educate Americans of the problems we live with today in a "post 9/11/01 United States of America".

The film is a contrast between the world of terrorism, and the warmth of a family who attempt to make Hassan feel at home back in America, and to show him what this country has given them, and what America might also do for him, without giving up their Pakistani heritage, but wanting Hassan to adapt and fit in as they have done. And to live a happy and productive life.

The final scenes are so dramatic and full of suspense and dread as you hope for a "Hollywood ending", only to find that Hassan's personal WAR WITHIN will lead to something else.

America has always been a melting pot and a symbol of hope for those coming to our shores, THE WAR WITHIN is a wonderful example to show an audience that we must still look at diversity as a blessing for America, and not a curse. Thank you Joseph Castelo and Ayad Akhtar for this film.

I had the pleasure of catching The War Within at Toronto last week. It's a deeply striking movie. We all knew it was a matter of time until a movie of this type was made, but no one expected it to be good. Who wants to see a terrorist movie? In this case, we all should. They've created an experience that accurately portrays contemporary ideologies, frightening circumstance, and consequence. The movie grips you from the beginning and holds you. While the stakes are obviously high, it's the character study that makes an impression. To a watch a terrorist, rooted in Islamic fundamentalism, come face to face with the culture and the people he's declared war on is amazing. The complexity of Hassan's situation: the spectrum of his past and division of his present forces the audience to analyze his decision.

For such a candid movie, it leaves us with questions. Fortunately, it's the questions we need to ask.

i am a Muslim, an Iranian..and have known the torture the people of such countries as Iran, Pakistan...south Americans survive and endure I think the director takes us on the journey of the struggle a man has after he has been terrorized, terrified, and hypnotized by the fanatical pain and rage that drives him to destroy a family he loves, a soul that no loner can bear the memories of his own torture. a brave and true vision of what a fanatical suicide bomber lives, what drives him. so beautifully shot, and sad to see how a man can lose all that he loves . a touching, brave film...Joseph Castello is a director to watch . the actors follow his lead and invite us into the struggle of the man and his inner war. a film to see and think about. it is real

I think this is a very important film to be coming from these talented young filmmakers from the United States. It intelligently and gracefully opens up an essential and pressing debate in our culture about the origins of present terrorism. See this film and engage in the process of trying to understand what seems impossible to understand. It brings the debate home into our streets and lives unlike anything Ihave seen yet. As a film in aesthetic terms, it is very strong. The performances are nuanced and at times powerful. And the story is an essential one to see, to think about, to grapple with. Whether you accept the propositions of the film or not, the timeliness and the willingness to deal with the big themes of our day is indisputable.

It's too bad that more movies this intelligent and compelling are not made in the U.S. It's fantastic that this one was though, even though probably not nearly enough people will ever get to see it. I feel very fortunate to have had the privilege. Some excellent performances make the characters seem very real. The perspective of this film was really interesting, looking at what Hassan goes through inside along his path to extremism. You glimpse some of what it was changed him and it helps to understand his ideology, twisted as it is. It's frightening how it seems even given all the apparent tension in his mind, he is still totally committed to his plan, and you see how his religion fits into that. There's a lot to think about after watching this film. All in all, a superb movie about a very relevant topic to most everyone today.