Praying with Anger

I saw this when it was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

It was a late entry, but the festival's programmers were so impressed by this debut feature by a young filmmaker (only 20 during shooting) that they put it on the program anyway. One of them (David Overbey as I recall, sadly now deceased) introduced Shyamalan and glowingly said something like "Watch this young man; he's going places and you'll be seeing a lot more of him". Pretty good assessment.

The film is about a teenager, born in India but raised in the U.S. (as Shyamalan was), who goes to his birthplace for a long visit and experiences major culture shock. He sees various aspects of local life with his American eyes, from trivial things to matters of life and death, and the film shows his bemusement while doing a good job of communicating the thoughts of the local characters. I would say that he chose well the issues to highlight (I too am a South Asian raised in the West, born in Canada to Sri Lankan parents who planned to go back but never did), like the importance of superstition and the local variety of racism. However, some parts were a bit too Hollywood for me, in particular the scene where the protagonist stops a lynch mob by preaching his American brand of morality - in much the same way that Captain Kirk used to prevent interstellar war with a few glib phrases.

After the screening, an audience member asked Shyamalan how autobiographical the film was. He replied that he had indeed taken the same kind of journey, but that the movie was definitely fictional. As he put it, "I did not quell a riot in India".

Another question from the audience was how much the movie had cost to make. His answer: "About a million". He didn't say where the money came from, but clearly someone took a chance on this talented young filmmaker. I'm sorry that the film didn't get released; it has stayed with me through the years despite my never having heard of the guy at the time. And now that I've seen other movies he's made, I'd like to watch this again to see more of their origins, much as I was fascinated by watching, long after it was made, Stanley Kubrick's first feature Fear and Desire.

This is quite far from a typical M. Night Shyamalan movie. This is what I would deem a typical 90s coming of age story with the twist of Indian culture involved. While the movie wasn't anything outstanding, and surely is not the M. Night Shyamalan movie you may be looking for, the movie itself is not bad.

It was very difficult to view this movie, and hard to find. If I wasn't a fan of M Night and didn't want to view all of his movies, do I think I would take this path again? No. Would I recommend this movie for others to watch? With the quality and difficulty required, also no. But I'm certainly not holding pitchforks, and I was able to watch the movie end to end and enjoy it. If you want to watch it or find yourself with a better copy than an online recording, all to you. But for me, I don't think it's worth the hassle for the content involved.

This is it, where it all started. M. Night Shyamalan's first movie "Praying With Anger" is a film about an Indian-American boy going to India, the place where his parents were born, so he can learn of his families way of life. I'll start out with saying that the concept is very intriguing. The plot is well written enough, but not perfect. Some characters are a bit inconsistent with there goals and behavior. The acting is decent, but again not perfect. Shyamalan himself is the strongest actor in the film, everyone else is okay. I'm not knocking the actors though, I know it's a hard job. And finally the filmmaking. It's a bit amateurish, but than again, Shyamalan was an amateur when he made this. It's his first film after all, it's good for what he had. If he made the movie now, I guarantee it would have better acting, cinematography, writing, and editing. In general, the movie is an impressive feat. Especially for his first movie, being self funded and all, I'd give it about a 6.6 out of 10.

I saw this film at a film festival many years ago and it has haunted me (in a beautiful way) for years and I have longed to see it again.

In a rare portrayal of a teenager, this boy is smart and sensitive and open. All the characters are interesting.

The third world spirituality and visuals, remind me in tone, of THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY.

I would like to get a DVD of this movie.

i loved the boy's visit to the Hindu temple and to his ancestral home. Magnificent.

Shyamalan made it when he was 22. Please release it whoever owns it -- NYU???

A film about an Indian-American who returns to his homeland to go to college. It very accurately depicts the social conventions of the time. It is a movie about inner courage and self-discovery that will leave you with a good feeling when it is over.