Slam

2020 • 115 minutes

About this movie

Ameena, a young hijab wearing Australian of Palestinian origin, disappears one night after featuring in a slam poetry gathering in the suburbs of Sydney. An Australian air force fighter is shot down over Syria and the pilot is captured by ISIS. The two unconnected events wreak hell in the quiet suburban life of Ameena's brother Ricky runs a small neighbourhood hipster café with his wife Sally. The case is handed to Police inspector, Joanne Hendricks, only weeks back at her job following a long convalescence after a nervous breakdown brought on by her son, Ryan's in Afghanistan. Despite all Joanne's efforts, Ameena cannot be found. In a climate of mistrust and xenophobia, the mainstream media amplifies the story and suggests Ameena may have become a 'home grown radical' who isn't missing but has gone to Syria to join the Islamic State. Meanwhile the pilot is cruelly executed and the media coverage amps up. Despite his innocence, Ricky must atone for the sins of all those deemed responsible and, for the sake of his family, denounce his sister. But, for Joanne, the only way to rid herself of her ghosts is to discover the truth behind Ameena's disappearance.

Ratings and reviews

A movie that does a phenomenal job of trying to make you forego your preconceived notions about religious minorities by bombarding you with so many cliches, stereotypes and sensitive issues that you're forced to feel guilty about the trope garbage that this story actually is. Unbelievable, uninteresting, heavily cliched and unprovoking.

An absolutely brilliant film that talks back to power in Australia. It makes a lot of people from the majority population uncomfortable and forces them to face the truth about racism.