Hey guys! Horrorella here...
If you are in the market for a more uplifting post-war film than AMERICAN SNIPER, this might be just the film for you.
AMIRA & SAM tells the story of an Army vet (Martin Starr) who returns home and begins the process of trying to adjust to civilian life. He reconnects with one of his Army buddies, and through this, meets Amira (Dina Shihabi), and Iranian woman who living in New York.
Rousing, smart, and sweet, Amira & Sam is a confident feature debut from writer-director Sean Mullin, and follows Sam (Martin Starr, "Freaks & Geeks", "Silicon Valley"), an army veteran adapting back to civilian life after a lengthy tour overseas. Upon reuniting with his unit's former Iraqi translator in New York City, he meets Amira (newcomer Dina Shihabi), his war buddy's niece; suspicious of soldiers, she wants nothing to do with him. However, when Amira runs into immigration trouble, Sam offers to keep her safe at his apartment. After a rocky start, their unlikely friendship starts to blossom into something more. Meanwhile, Sam's cousin Charlie (Paul Wesley, Before I Disappear, "The Vampire Diaries") offers him a lucrative opportunity at his hedge fund, helping to secure wealthy veterans as new clients. However, all is not as it seems, and Amira and Sam soon find themselves faced with mounting obstacles in order to stay together.
The film was written and directed by Sean Mullin, a former military officer and September 11th first responder. He wanted to approach the well-told story of a returning soldier in a unique way:
“Most ‘soldier-coming-home-from-war’ films deal with a soldier battling PTSD, but I wanted to flip that well-worn premise on its head: what if the soldier who returns if fine, but it's his country that's lost its mind? America was built on the backs of immigrants and protected by the courage of veterans, yet both of these groups have grown increasingly marginalized in today's society. I decided that the best way for me to explore such complex issues in the context of an independent film was to create an intimate love story with universal implications,” said Mullin.
Check out the trailer below:
The film opens in select theaters and on VOD tomorrow. And Drafthouse Films is offering a special screening opportunity to members of the armed forces. "Military Date Night" will be held all weekend long, and active and veteran service members will get a free companion ticket with the purchase of a ticket for the film.
Details and a list of participating theaters can be found here.
