Heartland: The Falconer
Two friends begin selling zoo animals on the black market to pay for a family member’s divorce.
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When a “based on a true story” disclaimer comes on, there was a time where I’d read it and think, “I’m about to see something unbelievable, and that disclaimer was my reminder that, yes, this actually happened.” There have been a few times, and The Falconer is one of them, where that disclaimer was completely unnecessary because virtually everything that occurs in this film is believable, and not really that extraordinary.
Two best friends, Cai (Rupert Fennessy) and Tariq (Rami Zahar) work at a small zoo in the country of Oman. Cai is a Westerner who speaks perfect Arabic, and has aspirations of studying animal conservation. Tariq is unsure what he’d like to do with the rest of his life, but both he and Cai find themselves at this crossroad together. It’s their last summer together, so they make the best of it: socializing, meeting girls, attending weddings.
In some Middle-Eastern countries, arranged marriages are still very much commonplace. This is the unfortunate situation that Tariq’s sister Talia finds herself in, because shortly after her wedding, she finds out the hard way that her husband Ahmed is physically abusive. Talia immediately rushes back to her family and requests a divorce.
O! If only divorce were that easy. In this situation, there was money exchanged (perhaps a dowry of some-sort), that Tariq’s family cannot afford to pay back. Tariq/Talia’s dad, is a hard-working beekeeper who hardly has the funds to pay for this, so what do the boys decide to do?
Start selling the zoo animals on the black-market, of course.
With easy, unfettered access to the animals, these scenes happen matter-of-factly, with little tension or difficulty. In fact, these thefts occur so nonchalantly, that we don’t even find out how much money they’re working to save to free Talia from Ahmed; we just know it’s going to happen.
Written and directed by Adam Sjöbeg and Seanne Winslow, the duo managed to capture the beauty of the country with its many sprawling, outdoor locations, perfectly framed shots, and lighting that was well-executed. Fennessy’s performance was emotional at times, but his range could have been further explored if the film expounded on the topic of “foreigner” and “immigrant” that wasn’t fully delivered.