Talk Islam

willow

  • 06:45:55 pm on June 25, 2008 | # | |
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    I’m afraid I have to disagree with Sepia Mutiny’s review of Brick Lane, the British film based on the bestselling novel of the same name. (Condolences are due over there, by the way–they just lost one of their contributors to bone marrow cancer. Allah yerhamu.)

    I saw the film at SiFF, and thought it was very well-done. It could very well be that there’s no insight there for people familiar with Indo-Londonian culture (a term I just made up), but for those who aren’t–like me–it was eye-opening. The three main characters were very delicately drawn. The transition of the young, idealistic love-interest into an extremist (he didn’t seem all that extreme, aside from the beard and the leaflet-printing) was almost beautiful. Portrayals of the average-Mo-into-fundie trope in films by non-Muslims tend to be very formulaic: dude starts out “good” (ie fairly westernized), is persecuted by bumbling westerners or trying circumstances, and turns abruptly and with many stock phrases to Ze Relijon. The portrayal of Karim in Brick Lane is much more nuanced. After he gets militant, you still like and empathize with him–revelatory to anyone who thinks fundamentalism is a simple equation.

    The author of the SM review makes great points, however, and I think this is just a matter of taste…she liked the film version of The Namesake, which I could barely stay awake for. Kal Penn didn’t cut it for me. Although I must say I like him in House.

     

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Comments

  • Andrea Useem 7:20 pm on June 25, 2008 | #

    Indo-Londonian…. love that. How about Amero-Cairene?

    I very much enjoyed Brick Lane, though the ending felt a bit overly dramatic/contrived. Can’t wait to see the movie. Though after seeing the Namesake, and finding it exactly similar to the book and therefore not very exciting, I’m not sure what to expect.

  • razib 11:27 pm on June 25, 2008 | #

    many bangladeshis would get pissed if you call them “indian”/”indo,” since that connotes indian national origin (i don’t are myself, but i’ve noticed this when i admit that i don’t care myself about these sorts of details).

  • razib 11:28 pm on June 25, 2008 | #

    though, to be fair, many bangladeshis would make it a point to also note that british bangladeshis tend to be sylheti… :-)

  • thabet 4:02 am on June 26, 2008 | #

    though, to be fair, many bangladeshis would make it a point to also note that british bangladeshis tend to be sylheti…

    Heh, so true.

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