Review of Brick Lane (2007) by Céline H — 24 Oct 2007
Monica Ali's award-winning novel about a woman weighing up her life in London's East End after growing up in Bangladesh was always going to be difficult to translate to the big screen. But the labyrinthine nature of the novel - much of it is confined within the four walls of a shabby council flat and more figuratively within Nazneen's imagination - is opened up without losing the claustrophobic tone of the book.
The many sequences filmed in Bangladesh offer sensual, fragrant respite from the perimeters of Nazneen's life in the city, but director Sarah Gavron is wise to apply these techniques - a scene under a cherry blossom tree is especially memorable - to London once her heroine's transformation begins.
Uplifting but never patronising, Brick Lane is a successful lesson in adaptation - in every sense.
This review of Brick Lane (2007) was written by Céline H on 24 Oct 2007.
Brick Lane has generally received mixed reviews.
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