34: Mira Nair
Gareth Higgins on THE CINEMA OF MIRA NAIR
The Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair once told me that she wanted audiences to see more films “that show life through the eyes of the other.” It takes one to know one, for that is exactly what Nair’s films do, with generosity of spirit, vibrant color, unafraid of bodies in their fulness, life in its tragedies (random and systemic), and the possibility of connection.
And that’s the thing - her films believe in possibility: whether telling of a ten-year-old Ugandan girl overcoming prejudice and a socioeconomic prison, or a Ugandan-Indian young woman sparking hope and combining resilience with a Mississippian fella trying to get by, or the participants in an arranged marriage allowing that maybe they have as much chance as anyone to make it sing.
In a sense, Mira Nair is herself an embodiment of the very thing she wants people to experience in cinema: stories through the eyes of the other. Born in India, she lives in Uganda and New York City. She has made the most culturally diverse Disney film that doesn’t have a Black Panther in it, as well as one of the most beautiful films about immigration, race, and the American dream. Watching Mississippi Masala the other day, it came as a half-serious thought that if everyone took the rest of the summer to have a Mira Nair festival, not only would we learn a lot about the world outside our own circles, but it’s possible we might also give each other a break.
So to that end, I’m going to recommend three Mira Nair films to anyone who wishes to welcome the gift of this brilliant and important artist into your home.
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