Brick Lane
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes
Directed by: Sarah Gavron
Cast: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Satish Kaushik, Christopher Simpson
This adaptation of Monica Ali's best-selling novel "Brick Lane", is the story of a beautiful young Bangladeshi woman, Nazneen (Chatterjee). She arrives in 1980's London, leaving behind her beloved sister and home for an arranged marriage to a much older man. Trapped in a tiny flat and isolated from the world outside, Nazneen silently bears the loss of her first born son. She dreams of her family in Bangladesh and lives for her sister's letters. Displaced from her homeland, her heart is full of sorrow until she finds herself attracted to a young man, Karim, who brings her sewing work. A beautiful love story develops, with a subplot about resisting Islamic extremism when the events of September 11th occur. Nazneen examines her own identity and her place in the world.
Brick Lane is exquisitely photographed. From the opening scene of two young sisters chasing one another through a sunny field in Bangladesh, the images are breathtaking. The original score comes from Jocelyn Pook with haunting singing from Natacha Atlas that compliments the film beautifully. Chatterjee is excellent in the lead role. Lovely and somewhat mysterious, she often conveys so much simply with her eyes. What I enjoyed most about this film is how the characters slowly unfold over time. The correspondence between Nazneen and her sister in Bangladesh reminded me a bit of the exchange between sisters in Jane Austen’s, "Pride and Prejudice".
Very simple in dialogue, slow moving and a bit cliché in plot, Brick Lane is not as ambitious in scope in comparison to Mira Nair's The Namesake, which asked questions about identity and answered them. But this film explores how a sense of duty and the expectations of others force people to put their own desires on the back burner (ultimately to their own personal loss), leaving relationships the poorer for it. I didn’t feel this adaptation was as true to the book as it should have been, nor was the film’s ending as strong as I had hoped. However, Brick Lane gives us an entertaining glimpse of another culture which can lead people to a better understanding of the world. Definitely worth seeing. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes
Directed by: Sarah Gavron
Cast: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Satish Kaushik, Christopher Simpson
This adaptation of Monica Ali's best-selling novel "Brick Lane", is the story of a beautiful young Bangladeshi woman, Nazneen (Chatterjee). She arrives in 1980's London, leaving behind her beloved sister and home for an arranged marriage to a much older man. Trapped in a tiny flat and isolated from the world outside, Nazneen silently bears the loss of her first born son. She dreams of her family in Bangladesh and lives for her sister's letters. Displaced from her homeland, her heart is full of sorrow until she finds herself attracted to a young man, Karim, who brings her sewing work. A beautiful love story develops, with a subplot about resisting Islamic extremism when the events of September 11th occur. Nazneen examines her own identity and her place in the world.
Brick Lane is exquisitely photographed. From the opening scene of two young sisters chasing one another through a sunny field in Bangladesh, the images are breathtaking. The original score comes from Jocelyn Pook with haunting singing from Natacha Atlas that compliments the film beautifully. Chatterjee is excellent in the lead role. Lovely and somewhat mysterious, she often conveys so much simply with her eyes. What I enjoyed most about this film is how the characters slowly unfold over time. The correspondence between Nazneen and her sister in Bangladesh reminded me a bit of the exchange between sisters in Jane Austen’s, "Pride and Prejudice".
Very simple in dialogue, slow moving and a bit cliché in plot, Brick Lane is not as ambitious in scope in comparison to Mira Nair's The Namesake, which asked questions about identity and answered them. But this film explores how a sense of duty and the expectations of others force people to put their own desires on the back burner (ultimately to their own personal loss), leaving relationships the poorer for it. I didn’t feel this adaptation was as true to the book as it should have been, nor was the film’s ending as strong as I had hoped. However, Brick Lane gives us an entertaining glimpse of another culture which can lead people to a better understanding of the world. Definitely worth seeing. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.
This one looks promising.
Another great review.