Review of The Namesake (2006) by Robert H — 14 Sep 2009
?The Namesake? is the story of a young Indian couple that moves to American from their home land, in search of a new life together. They are a couple betrothed, their marriage arranged. Together they find and start a family with a son and a daughter, far away from their parents and the familiarity of home. Their son, Gogol, named for a Russian writer, is a typical American teenager. At first, Gogol?s personal journey is one of exploration. He wants to get away. He changes his name to something sounding more ?American?. He meets a young woman and becomes a part of her family, leaving his own behind. While he is away, his father dies, and he is tasked with identifying the body. It is then that he discovers what heritage is. He remembers how he got his name following a tragedy that his father experienced. His name is not a reminder of the tragedy, but a reminder that each day since then has been a gift. Gogol leaves his girlfriend and later marries an Indian woman, finds love, then heartbreak. He is left with only himself, and for the first time in his life, he feels truly free. As he says goodbye to his mother, who is returning to India, he looks to his new life with enthusiasm.
Gogol and his family are Hindu, and practice the ancient religion. In the film, I saw many aspects of the religion, including a marriage ceremony and a death ritual. While the religion is not mentioned specifically, it is present. We see a god figure early in the movie, perhaps Saraswati. Gogol?s father seems to embrace his son?s desire to change his name, and join a new culture. This is a part of the passive nature of Hindus. I myself am not religious, but after watching this movie, I found the desire to know more. Their religion embraces other religions and other ways. There was no violence, only understanding and often, an unspoken love. We could certainly learn a lot from them.
It is probably needless to say that I really liked this movie and was moved by it. If you get the chance, this is a movie worth seeing.
This review of The Namesake (2006) was written by Robert H on 14 Sep 2009.
The Namesake has generally received very positive reviews.
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