When "Young Ahmed" begins, Ahmed has already been radicalized by a local Imam in Belgium. The film does not deal with what drove him to be radicalized (although as the story unfolds it becomes clear), but rather, it tries to determine if young people, once radicalized, can be conditioned and trained to release their hatred and learn that it is better to talk to those with opposing views, and that violence is not necessary.
I found the film to be very interesting in this discussion of what is going on all over Europe. I found it disturbing that after all the positive things that people had done for him, and his meeting a young woman who was interested in him, that Ahmed could not make a real connection to others. All he wants to do is kill his teacher who he says has defiled the teachings of the Quran.
While I applaud the work of the Dardenne brothers here, I think that it may have been more interesting to have had the perspective of a director such as Asghar Farhadi to make it more authentic.
An excellent film. 8 out of 10
I found the film to be very interesting in this discussion of what is going on all over Europe. I found it disturbing that after all the positive things that people had done for him, and his meeting a young woman who was interested in him, that Ahmed could not make a real connection to others. All he wants to do is kill his teacher who he says has defiled the teachings of the Quran.
While I applaud the work of the Dardenne brothers here, I think that it may have been more interesting to have had the perspective of a director such as Asghar Farhadi to make it more authentic.
An excellent film. 8 out of 10