Review of Brick Lane (2007) by David E — 27 Nov 2007

If this was put on the BBC or ITV, then it would certainly get a BAFTA, as it has the qualities that a good Ken Loach drama might have, except without the grit. It is a moving and tragic tale about a woman from Bangladesh who, through arrangement by her father, is moved from her home in Bangladesh to live in London, where she marries a loveable but useless oath. The film follows her simple life, which has its passion reignited when a handsome young man falls for her and offers some excitement in her dreary urban home life. The plot then gets a bit confused when it starts to explore muslim extremism, but it gives a good picture of the fear that some muslims will have had post 9/11 when there was a feared back lash from some in the west.

The resolution is good, but somewhat unfulfilling for some reason, and the film does not feel very cinematic (as I say, it feels more like a tv made drama), but the simplicity of the plot and the humilty of the actors performances make this an interesting and warming film and actually, rather ironically, it feels just as british as any ken loach film.