Traitor (The Movie)

I’m not sure if this is still playing the US, but it just made it to Abu Dhabi. Michael and I love walking to the Al Mariah movie theater. It’s not in a big mall, so it’s older and is frequented by locals. Last night we saw Traitor with Don Cheadle and I highly recommend it. I’m not going to give anything away that you probably haven’t seen on a preview, but I wanted to share my experience. It’s not the first FBI/ terrorism movie I’ve watched and it may not even be the first one I have watched here, but during the movie, it hit me; my perspective will never be the same. In the beginning they keep using the Arabic word shukran. It’s not translated, but I know that it means Thank You. I use this phrase frequently! Muslims praying on carpets and the repetition of “Allah Akmed” (not sure if this is the correct spelling, but it is how the prayer calls begin) looked and sounded very familiar. Right away the movie felt too close for comfort. Scenes depicted people I see every day, except now they were holding guns. Had I watched it in the US, I wouldn’t have had anything to compare it to because like most movies, you usually end up seeing a stereotype. Either way, it made me squirm in my seat. The movie is excellent and Don Cheadle plays his role wonderfully, making it difficult to determine who the “bad guys” are. His character challenges the stereotype which is why I encourage you to see it. When the credits rolled and I turned left to grab my purse, I was looking at an Arab Muslim in the eye and couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. Stepping outside the theatre, I heard the now familiar sound of Arabic and even though I feel safe and far away from suicide bombers, I also know that I am not home. If you’ve seen it, please let me know what you think!