The Sikh faith—the world's fifth largest religion—is mostly visually identifiable by its headgear: the turban. Filmmakers Satinder Garcha, Mike Rogers, and Meghan Shea's Under the Turban presents some little-known truths about Sikhs while also exploring the many broad misconceptions held by Westerners. An innocent query from a 9-year-old Sikh girl named Zara—who asks, “What makes me a Sikh?”—leads her family on a journey around the world to try to answer that deceptively simple question. The Garcha family witnesses Sikh cheesemakers in Parma, a Sikh motorcycle club in Vancouver, and elderly Sikh marathoners in Singapore, before winding up in the holy Sikh city of Amritsar in search of their religion's roots and earliest traditions. Along the way, the film also covers the darker side of the mysteries and misunderstandings surrounding the Sikh faith: specifically, a tragic 2012 incident in Wisconsin in which a white supremacist gunman shot and killed six Sikhs as they worshiped at a local temple. Effectively raising awareness about the Sikh faith while also promoting a positive public image that may help combat discrimination in the future, Under the Turban is an informative and good-humored documentary. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (M. Sandlin)
Under the Turban
(2017) 90 min. In English, Italian, Spanish & Punjabi w/English subtitles. DVD: $19.95. Cinema Libre Studio (avail. from most distributors). Volume 32, Issue 5
Under the Turban
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