Ian Olds’ first narrative film, “The Fixer”, follows an Afghan refugee whose need to discover his purpose in his new home, could cost him his life.
The film (which is inspired by Olds’ 2009 documentary of the same name) is lead by Iranian-American actor Dominic Rains. Rains plays Osman, a former fixer in Afghan war zones for friend and reporter Gabe (James Oliver Wheatley). After securing asylum in the States, Gabe sends Osman to stay with his mother Gloria (Melissa Leo), and arranges a meeting with the local newspaper, resulting in Osman taking a thankless job as a writer for the local police blotter.
Though initially disappointed, Osman uses the chance to immerse himself in his new environment. Eventually he finds himself befriending Lindsay (James Franco), an unstable local who promises to show him where the “real stuff” happens in the town. During an excursion, their suddenly attacked by a small group of men. Soon after, one of the men is found dead, and Lindsay is missing. For his own sense of well being and out of obligation to his new friend, Osman begins his search for the truth but discovers more about himself in the process.
The film features strong performances from a cast that’s seems to swim in an unabashedly strange and unpredictable environment. Rains does a great deal of heavy lifting in the role. His commitment to Osman’s ‘fish out of water’ point of view acts as the linchpin to the entire narrative. Rachel Brosnahan’s Sandra, a young actress who studies in the woods with her mentor, is equally as nuanced— at times guiding Osman down what seems like a never ending rabbit hole.
Ian Olds’s and company. have crafted a narrative that is somehow both gradual and tense. The only question is if audiences will have the patience to hang on for the ride.
We screened the film at the Tribeca Film Festival. Best Actor in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film was awarded to Dominic Rains “For his deeply emotional and empathic portrayal of a man who’s a stranger in a strange land.”
-Ryan Brown
