Morbid, morbid and morbid.
These are the words to describe Brick Lane. Adapted into a film from the critically acclaimed novel by Monica Ali, Brick Lane the film has many flaws. Nazneem, a Bangladeshi young woman arrives in 1980s London, leaving her beloved sister behind to enter an arranged marriage.
After witnessing her simple and beautiful life back in her village, with the exception of her mother's suicide, Nazneem is married to an overweight, sexist man whom finds comforts with quoting from pioneers such as Ghandi. However, the character of her husband is a complex one and redeems himself when he speaks about Islam being in his heart rather than a political out cry.
The film tackles a number of issues; Nazneem's experience of a culture shock in London to the endless meaning of love through the sexual awakening in a repressed Muslim woman.
Nazneem meets a young man whom she develops strong feelings for and she quickly finds herself having an affair. She puts a stop to it when she finds out that her sister is a lost cause back home as well as being promiscuous. She sees herself in her sisters mistakes and rejects her love for this young man. There is an interesting sequence when Nazneem is cleaning her husbands toenails and she stares at the television. >Brief Encounter(1945) is playing in the background; is this a modern day notion of the romantic drama?
The answer? Perhaps. The 9/11 attacks have happened and Britain is under rapid change, Brick Lane is not at all quiet in representing this important issue. Nazneem's lover develops a beard and starts wearing religious clothing as a means to identify himself and support his people. Her husband begins to grow weaker within himself and the increase of racism is evident.
The film feels unfinished, forced and claustrophobic.
On the other hand, there are many beautiful sequences, especially after Nazneem makes love with the young man. The light she prayed so hard for finally shines on her face and it's wonderful to see. Cinematically, Brick Lane is a piece of art.
The film is pretty much plot-less, it has a lack of strong characters and it also doesn't have a particularly strong message. The ending of the film is irritating as it promotes the idea of immigrants being helpless dreamers, which is by far a terrible bracket to be placed in.
The film is full of beautiful quotes that make me think the book was wonderful. These include;
"The test of life is to endure"
I did manage to endure this film and found myself confused and immensely disappointed. The book however, I have yet to review.
4/10
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