The National Geographic documentary "Inside Mecca" does a great job of introudcing its viewers to Islam, and to the sacred tradition of the pilgrimage - or the Hajj. The movie is very well structured, as it begins with the very basics - it explains what Hajj is, thus acquainting the viewer with the concept that may have been foreign to them previously. Then, it dives "inside Mecca," and follows three different people who are on their pilgrimage, in order to tell their stories, and help the viewer understand what the Hajj means not only on a social, but also on a personal level.
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and it is mandatory for anyone who is in the right health to do it. However, what goes beyond this is often left unknown - and for many people outside of Islam, the Hajj is simply this - a pilgrimage. What often goes unnoticed is all of the work and preparation, all of the individual stories and experiences that go into the Hajj journey; and this movie does a great job at portraying the realities of the Hajj, rather than keeping it an abstract idea. Another important aspect of the movie, is that it shows all of the preparations that happen not only on a personal level for each individual pilgrim, but also on the societal level - it shows how people that live in Mecca work as a community to provide for the Hajj.
Furthermore, the movie does a great job of showing the diversity of Muslims, and shows how three completely different people can be connected with one another. How three people from different backgrounds can share something so sacred to them; thus hinting that perhaps, we, as people, are not so different after all.
The movie, however, is not limited to just the Hajj - it also shows how and why the three pilgrims came to Islam; and what the religion means for them. In today's world, we often dismiss religion, and ignore its followers. However, this film does a wonderful job of reminding us how sacred faith can be to a person. It introduces the viewer to the concept of equality, and that in Islam - in front of Allah, everyone is equal, not matter their cultural, racial or economical background.
However, the movie also shows the other side of the coin. It shows all of the difficulties that go into the Hajj. It shows how the pilgrims struggle, and how the journey can be physically exhausting. Furthermore, it sheds light on all of the discrimination that happens on the Hajj; and this shows that even religious people are still people, and not all follow the right moral principles, even on a sacred journey like such. It was heartbreaking to see how something that is supposed to be so holy and so sacred can be so full with hate and discrimination. Fidelma and Khalil were the pilgrims that had to face racial discirmination, and were mistreated simply for the way that they look; even though in faith, everyone is supposed to be equal. The Hajj is supposed to be the journey that unites muslims, because they all gather there for the same reason, for the same end goal - even if each and every single one of their journeys is personal and, therefore, different. But, just like anything in life, it is not perfect, and does put its pilgrims through many (sometimes unnecessary) challenges. The movie does highlight, however, the importance of the pilgrimage, and the effect that it has on everyone who follows through with it. People on the pilgrimage go there with an open heart; they all are at their most vulnerable, and this emotional state unites them all.
Furthermore, the film also introduced us to the practical part of the pilgrimage - the rituals and the procedures that need to be carried out when one enters the holy city. The pilgrims have to be cleansed and have to declare that they are spiritually ready; they have to be dressed modestly and all have similar clothes. All this is done in order to appear equal before God, and even this ritual highlights the theme of equality, that is supposed to be present in Islam.
However, despite being very profound contentually, it is not as advanced technologically. One of the things that have stood out to me was the quality of sound. Whenever there was a soundtrack, it was overpowering and it was very hard to focus on the words of the people in the movie. Furthermore, the quality of the movie is very poor - the lighting and the shots not only do not flatter the people and the settings, but they are also very awkward to the eye and not aesthetically pleasing. Many may argue that small details like such do not matter. However, if a person feels negative emotions towards the technical aspects of the film, they may subconsciously translate this dislike and direct it at the content. Therefore, the technical moment is very important, and I think it struggled in this movie.
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and it is mandatory for anyone who is in the right health to do it. However, what goes beyond this is often left unknown - and for many people outside of Islam, the Hajj is simply this - a pilgrimage. What often goes unnoticed is all of the work and preparation, all of the individual stories and experiences that go into the Hajj journey; and this movie does a great job at portraying the realities of the Hajj, rather than keeping it an abstract idea. Another important aspect of the movie, is that it shows all of the preparations that happen not only on a personal level for each individual pilgrim, but also on the societal level - it shows how people that live in Mecca work as a community to provide for the Hajj.
Furthermore, the movie does a great job of showing the diversity of Muslims, and shows how three completely different people can be connected with one another. How three people from different backgrounds can share something so sacred to them; thus hinting that perhaps, we, as people, are not so different after all.
The movie, however, is not limited to just the Hajj - it also shows how and why the three pilgrims came to Islam; and what the religion means for them. In today's world, we often dismiss religion, and ignore its followers. However, this film does a wonderful job of reminding us how sacred faith can be to a person. It introduces the viewer to the concept of equality, and that in Islam - in front of Allah, everyone is equal, not matter their cultural, racial or economical background.
However, the movie also shows the other side of the coin. It shows all of the difficulties that go into the Hajj. It shows how the pilgrims struggle, and how the journey can be physically exhausting. Furthermore, it sheds light on all of the discrimination that happens on the Hajj; and this shows that even religious people are still people, and not all follow the right moral principles, even on a sacred journey like such. It was heartbreaking to see how something that is supposed to be so holy and so sacred can be so full with hate and discrimination. Fidelma and Khalil were the pilgrims that had to face racial discirmination, and were mistreated simply for the way that they look; even though in faith, everyone is supposed to be equal. The Hajj is supposed to be the journey that unites muslims, because they all gather there for the same reason, for the same end goal - even if each and every single one of their journeys is personal and, therefore, different. But, just like anything in life, it is not perfect, and does put its pilgrims through many (sometimes unnecessary) challenges. The movie does highlight, however, the importance of the pilgrimage, and the effect that it has on everyone who follows through with it. People on the pilgrimage go there with an open heart; they all are at their most vulnerable, and this emotional state unites them all.
Furthermore, the film also introduced us to the practical part of the pilgrimage - the rituals and the procedures that need to be carried out when one enters the holy city. The pilgrims have to be cleansed and have to declare that they are spiritually ready; they have to be dressed modestly and all have similar clothes. All this is done in order to appear equal before God, and even this ritual highlights the theme of equality, that is supposed to be present in Islam.
However, despite being very profound contentually, it is not as advanced technologically. One of the things that have stood out to me was the quality of sound. Whenever there was a soundtrack, it was overpowering and it was very hard to focus on the words of the people in the movie. Furthermore, the quality of the movie is very poor - the lighting and the shots not only do not flatter the people and the settings, but they are also very awkward to the eye and not aesthetically pleasing. Many may argue that small details like such do not matter. However, if a person feels negative emotions towards the technical aspects of the film, they may subconsciously translate this dislike and direct it at the content. Therefore, the technical moment is very important, and I think it struggled in this movie.