Hala

🧠 Summary of the Plot

Hala (2019) is a film created and released by Minhal Baig, which is a bittersweet tale of a young woman navigating through the issues of an identity crisis. This beautifully shot film tells the story of a Pakistani American girl Hala Masood, portrayed by Geraldine Viswanathan, who is seventeen years of age, straddling the two worlds of a modern American and a traditional Muslim girl.

Hala is a typical American teenager who is living in Chicago with her immigrant Pakistani parents. She is a dutiful daughter who wears the attire expected of her, going to school and performing well in her classes, praying, and even balancing an after school job. Also, in the eyes of her parents and society, she is a perfect daughter, praying and going to class. She is an obedient daughter. She does, however, have a few secrets. One of her secrets is an infatuation with an American classmate and a fantasy about dating him.

The more and more she grows close to her classmate Jesse, the more she is required to battle with stubborn and very tightly held traditions. To a certain point, she begins to cross lines, like lying to her parents and skipping prayers. Even her forms of breaking the rules are very subdued and quiet like and very different from traditional American styles of rejecting rules like getting drunk and going to parties. This is deeply layered and vastly multifaceted personal upheaval is the essence of the film.

The point of no return happens when Hala finds out a horrifying truth about Zahid (Azad Khan) her father’s character, bare in her eyes, is a person she had looked up to. This breaks Hala’s illusion about her family and makes her think more of how power, gender, and trust shaped her society. The film does not demonize from where she comes but shows the warmth of the family and the culture with more pity than anger.

Hala, at last, is shown taking the first step to independence, not through self-implosive acts, but through delicate, emotionally poignant choices. The film ends ambiguously yet optimistically, giving the audience a glimpse of her journey without confining her to a predetermined conclusion.

🎭 Characters and Performances

Hala Masood (Geraldine Viswanathan)

Geraldine Viswanathan’s performance is a revelation. An expressive face is able to display volumes of emotions without the use of words. Hala is shown compassionately and with depth—she is neither a simplistic embodiment of rebellion nor of oppression.

Ermila Masood (Purbi Joshi)

Ermila, as Hala’s mother, is at once authoritative and fragile. Joshi brings to life a character that is far from merely flat and dull. The changing dynamics with Hala heighten the emotion of the story, especially when she begins to challenge the subservient role she had played in the family structure.

Zahid Masood (Azad Khan)

Azad Khan is a man trying to hold onto honor, control from a culture, and fight to keep the balance from slipping away. As the story develops, Hala begins to appreciate his complexities, revealing the cracks to his morally perfect veneer.

Jesse (Jack Kilmer)

Jesse is not really a love interest and instead, is a symbol of Hala’s development. Jack Kilmer’s portrayal adds to the gentleness and respectfulness of the character. Their relationship, however, is not a romantic one, but rather a collective emotional journey.

🎥 Themes and Symbolism

Identity and Duality

Hala’s life is defined by dualism, being a Muslim and American, a daughter and adolescent, modesty and desire. Hala’s story showcases the intricacies of bicultural identity and complexity without demonizing either culture.

Femininity and Power

The film seeks to undermine gender inequality in the household, but instead of focusing on teaching a lesson, it develops characters. Women’s roles in the home are examined, especially Hala’s mother, whose gradual change reflects Hala’s journey toward empowerment.

Secrets and Silence

The film’s impact is in what is not said. Hala’s culture, family, and adolescence is a culture of silence, a void of expression. Hala holds onto her revelations, her thoughts melting away without speaking.

Poetry and Expressive Writing

For Hala, self-definition and escape intertwine in her private poetry. In her verses, she expresses her innermost thoughts and feelings, and in many ways, her love for words is a form of quiet rebellion against a world that seeks to silence her.

🎞️ Style and Atmosphere of the Cinematic Work

Baig’s direction focuses on intimate, observational storytelling. Hala’s world is quiet and ordinary, and the film’s gentle, unhurried pace reflects this. It generates emotion through subtle moments, and a combination of long takes, natural light, and sparse, unobtrusive score transport the audience into Hala’s daily life.

Carolina Costa’s cinematography captures the physical and emotional boundaries of Hala’s life. Tight framing of her home is juxtaposed with freer compositions of her skateboarding and daydreaming. This visual storytelling is nuanced and reinforces the overarching motifs of confinement and liberation.

The sparse score is supportive, quiet and natural sound shaping the emotional cadence.

⭐ Reception and Interpretation

Critical Response

Hala was screened for the first time at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019 and received praise for insightful writing, perspective, and commendable performances from the cast, especially Viswanathan. Critics lauded the film for its unique exploration of culture, identity, and emotional complexity, lamenting the lack sensationalized religion and adolescence.

Response from the Audience

Many viewers empathized with Hala’s internal conflicts, especially women of color grappling with bicultural issues. While some resonated with the film’s themes, others were left wanting a clearer resolution, which is understandable. During the screening, much of the audience appeared to be young women from international backgrounds. That said, many appreciated a lack of forced closure on a story meant to mirror reality.

📽️ Important Insights for the Audience

Most of the film’s themes are culturally diverse, which have not been given adequate attention, especially the female perspective. Hala is not an attention seeking film. In melodious ways that build over the film, rather, it’s an emotionally real film.

Intnih (to all members of the audience): It’s especially relevant to viewers who understand (or want to explore) the intricacies of the push and pull within immigrant families.

Introspective while poetic: This film infers a message which is more important than validation from the audience. This film prioritizes internal development, growth.

✅ Conclusion

Driven by a powerful performance from Geraldine Viswanathan and a confident direction from Minhal Baig, Hala is an undeniably strong coming of age story. It gracefully illustrates the emotional complexities of adolescence, culture, and identity. While the film was slow moving, I appreciated the pace and the lack of clichéd, hasty conclusions. Hala avoids portraying too many broad and easy answers and instead offers an exquisitely crafted feministic coming of age story. I personally, would recommend it to everyone seeking emotional depth because it truly evokes the sprit of character driven films.