…………………………………………………

Moor Movie Review

Moor (Mother) is a 2015 Pakistani drama film directed by Jami and starring Hameed Sheikh and Shaz Khan. It’s a film that started off very strong, but ended up being somewhat disappointing.

A railway stationmaster tries to cope with his wife’s death, his estrangement from his son and the corrupt world in which he lives. That is the premise behind this family drama that actually promised to be a social drama in its opening credits that teach us about the railway system in the country left by the UK, but destroyed by corruption and the mafia.

………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………..

However, the movie ended up being focused more on its central family than on the social issues of Pakistan. It did focus on the latter issues, but its treatment of the mafia problem in the country wasn’t particularly sophisticated. In essence, the movie has a problem in tone as it never quite decides whether to honor Pakistan or criticize it for its problems. I would opt for the latter approach, but the filmmakers decided abruptly to end on a patriotic note, which felt somewhat inappropriate in the context of this particular story.

Hameed Sheikh is by far the best actor in the film as his performance is the most grounded and complex. Shaz Khan is also solid, but it is Sheikh who steals the show from everybody else. Some other performances are rather iffy to be honest. I did love the grandpa character, but the actor’s performance in that role was over-the-top in my opinion. But his arc was still quite moving undoubtedly.

There is a lot of emotion to be had with the main storyline. Moor is at its best when focusing on the emotional plight of its characters. However, some supporting characters felt just a bit underdeveloped, which was a problem as the film tried to focus on each and every one of them extensively. As for its technical aspects, Moor is very well filmed, solidly directed and well paced, but the soundtrack was forgettable and unnecessary for this type of drama movie.

………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………..

Moor is a Pakistani drama that deals with the corruption and mafia in the country indecisively and not all that extensively, but the family drama at the core of the film worked as the main characters are well developed and acted. The movie’s soundtrack was forgettable and unnecessary for this type of drama movie, but it is otherwise very well filmed and made with the highlight being its emotional engagement.

My Rating – 3.5