Sami (E. J. Assi) and Najlah (Nada Shouhayib) slowly grow close in Arab-American rom-com DETROIT UNLEADED
DETROIT UNLEADED (Rola Nashef, 2012)
Cinema Village
22 East 12th St. between University Pl. & Fifth Ave.
Opens Friday, November 22
212-924-3363
www.cinemavillage.com
www.detroitunleaded.com
Expanded from her 2010 short film of the same name, Rola Nashef’s first feature, Detroit Unleaded, is a well-meaning if ultimately standard romantic comedy set within the Motor City’s Arab-American community. Described by Nashef, who was born in Lebanon and raised in Michigan, as a melding of Clerks, Do the Right Thing, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the film stars E. J. Assi as Sami, a Lebanese American teenager preparing to go to college in California when his father, Ibrahim (Akram El-Ahmar), is suddenly shot and killed at the family’s gas station / convenience store. With no other choice but to take over the business, Sami soon finds himself behind newly installed protective glass, using a buzzer to let customers into his store. He works with his cousin Mike (Mike Batayeh), who will sell just about anything and has big plans for their operation. Bored and lonely, Sami is surprised when the pretty Najlah (Nada Shouhayib) begins to show an interest in him, although she’s hands-off when it comes to any physical contact, fearful of what her big brother, Fadi (Steven Soro), would do if he finds out she might have a boyfriend. Meanwhile, Sami starts giving his mother, Mariam (Mary Assel), driving lessons so she can begin putting her life back together. Assi and Shouhayib are charming in their film debuts, displaying an endearing chemistry, but the narrative staggers whenever side characters are involved, from Najlah’s friends to the various oddballs who come into the store. Even Mariam’s story feels stagnant and stale. While it’s interesting getting an inside look at the battle between the old ways and the new generation in the Lebanese-American community in Detroit, the film settles on some clichéd plot twists, leading to an ending that will have audiences scratching their heads, wondering if a scene or two was missing. Winner of the Grolsch Film Works Discovery Award at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, Detroit Unleaded opens on November 22 at Cinema Village, with Nashef participating in a half dozen Q&As on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, joined by Assi, Batayeh, and Shouhayib at some of them.