Cinestaan Curates: The Long Goodbye is an emotional, visceral response to intolerance

The multi-hyphenate talent of actor-rapper Riz Ahmed comes together in the short film The Long Goodbye which is a companion piece to the eponymous music album that examines the relationship that the United Kingdom has had with South Asians historically as well as in contemporary times.

The film unfolds in a regular home where wedding preparations are underway. There is the typical chaos and confusion with relatives stuffed in every nook and corner, the rehearsing of dance steps, shifting around of furniture and people to make room. Amidst all the commotion comes a disturbance when armed, masked men drive up to certain homes in the street.

At first, it seems like it might be a robbery, but as the bystanders watch while people are being rounded up from their homes, one realizes that it is much more. As the horrific event unfolds, we see the collusion of the police, the mute spectators, and the abject helplessness of South Asians being rounded up like cattle.

Directed by Aneil Karia, The Long Goodbye depicts a dystopic time. Whether it is minorities being persecuted in the Trump era or people being hunted down because of their different faiths, the short film visualizes a horrific unfolding of events for the xenophobic times that we are living in.

What brings the concerns together is Ahmed’s rap at the end. With hard-hitting lyrics delivered with searing emotion, he addresses his own identity and asks the question, 'Where you really from?', pointing to the complexity of the idea of home for immigrants who may be born in one place but have grown up in an altogether different land. The rapper addresses the current scenario of violence as he says, “Now everybody everywhere wants their country back/ If you want me back to where I’m from, then bruv I need a map.” He goes on to point to the colonial history of Britain which made the country what it is today.

Hard-hitting, heartfelt, anguished and angry, the vocals along with the rawness of Ahmed’s performance in the film embody the pain and humiliation that minority communities, especially Muslims, are subjected to in the wake of Islamophobia.

The Long Goodbye was screened at the Palm Springs International ShortFest, which is being held from 22–28 June.