What do you do when you hate someone, really hate someone? Do you slander their name? Do you do everything you can to make their lives cumbersome? For Richard ‘Mac’ McKinney, living in the shadow of 9/11 and his military career, he believes you plot to kill them. When Mac plots a terrorist attack on a nearby mosque in Muncie, Indiana, he finds himself in a position that he never believed he would, rethinking everything that he thought he once knew. Stranger at the Gate is about finding common ground, moving on, and bettering yourself in every way possible.
How do you as a director begin telling a story of this magnitude, the story of someone known to (even admitting to) have plotted to murder dozens of innocent individuals? Where is the starting point and where is the finish line? As you can see, Stranger at the Gate forces viewers to ask a series of questions, questions that effectively go beyond the film itself. That’s the mark of a good film. When filmmakers can cause viewers to think outside of their film, to analyze the things that go on around them, that’s a win–and that’s exactly what Stranger at the Gate causes viewers to do.
The story itself, much like the people on screen tell viewers, is one that is difficult to believe. It feels that if viewers weren’t able to hear it from the source, it would be impossible to believe. The things we hear throughout, however, lend themselves to believability, and that allows viewers to better appreciate Stranger at the Gate as a whole. Once the film establishes itself as credible, which is early on in the production, the story effectively keeps viewers engaged without any wow factor, without having to use shock and awe. The subject matter is enough to keep the ball rolling, to keep viewers engaged, and to propel the film toward success.
Beyond that storyline, as Stranger at the Gate reaches far out into viewers’ reality, viewers are able to see how this unique story is relevant in their lives. We are able to see ourselves in one way, shape, or form, as we watch this film play out–and we are begged to question who and what we are. The ability of Director Joshua Seftel to accomplish this, to allow us to look inward and see ourselves for who and what we truly are is incredible. There are some hard-headed people out there, and I’m one of them, but I’m able to appreciate this sentiment–meaning there will be many others who will appreciate it as well.
It’s of massive importance that Stranger at the Gate reaches viewers outside of the film itself. The meaning is far reaching, and it reaches viewers in a number of ways. It allows us to question reality and everything that we think we know. Considering the severity of the topic at hand, Seftel and his interviewees aren’t too aggressive and help to pace the film incredibly well. Stranger at the Gate is invasive in the best ways, and it has the potential to reach everyone.
Directed by Joshua Seftel.
Starring Richard ‘Mac’ McKinney, Emily McKinney, Dana McKinney, Bibi Bahrami, Saber Bahrami, Zaki Bahrami, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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