SYNOPSICS
Last Hijack (2014) is a Somali movie. Tommy Pallotta,Femke Wolting,1 more credit has directed this movie. are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2014. Last Hijack (2014) is considered one of the best Documentary,Animation movie in India and around the world.
LAST HIJACK is a true tale of survival in Somalia told from the pirate's perspective. Combining animation with documentary storytelling, the film takes an innovative hybrid approach to explore how one Somali pirate - Mohamed - came to live such a brutal and dangerous existence. Animated re-enactments exploring Mohamed's memories, dreams and fears from his point of view are juxtaposed with raw footage from his everyday life in an original non-fiction narrative. Somalia is the worldwide capital of piracy, and Mohamed is one of Somalia's most experienced pirates. But in his homeland, a failed state, Mohamed is just another middle-aged man trying to make ends meet. Far removed from the glamour and adventure of the pirates of books and movies, Somali pirates face increasing scrutiny and stigmatization both at home and abroad. Now Mohamed is engaged and both his parents and his in-laws pressure him to change his ways before the big wedding day. Mohamed senses that the golden age of piracy ...
Last Hijack (2014) Trailers
Last Hijack (2014) Reviews
The other side
It's easy to portray pirates as evil like they did in "Captain Phillips". It's a lot tougher to convey what the real story behind their desperation is. This documentary tries that, with touches of feature filmmaking. We have animated sequences and we have many sequences that feel staged rather than just happening at that exact moment. But the movie still is able to get us into that place. A place that is not easy to live in. A place that has changed for a lot of people (in Somalia) and a place of survival. It's easy to point fingers and blame other and while the movie cannot give us everything, at least it does humanize people we see as evil. Which might be seen as troubled thing to do, but it does ring true. Families are at stake and reputations to be held. What will win out?
Could have been better
The premise of this film is a good one: An inside look at a Somali pirate. Unfortunately, we don't really get this inside look, beyond the superficiality of this man. The synopsis on Amazon even says "'Last Hijack' dives into the memories, dreams and fears of a man often vilified, but rarely understood." NO, it does not. Sure, we get to hear some of his memories, but other than his dream to be rich, there's nothing else there. By the end of this film, I know nothing about why this man is the way he is. (Other than making the erroneous assumption that people in a lawless society -- or who had some formative years when there was war -- all choose to commit crime.) By about halfway into the film, we find out he's had a lot of children that he abandoned with his parents. Then at perhaps the 2/3rds point, we find out he beat one of the wives that he walked out on years prior. What in God's name is there to like about this man? Why should we care? What are the filmmakers wanting to communicate here? Anything? It appears not. It's a "slice of life" into a Somali pirate who has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. And who is the same person at the end of the film, as when it started. I happened to read the LA Times review after watching the documentary, and I couldn't agree more with it. One of the things that reviewer said, was one of the people we meet in the film -- the one running a radio station to influence people to not become pirates -- would have been a more interesting subject for a doc. I could not agree more. The ONE scene where the radio station man talks about and receives phone calls from people who possibly want him dead, was the most fascinating scene in this entire film. In fact, if he was half the focus of this film, as counterpoint to the pirate, that would have made for a much more compelling documentary.