Review of The Namesake (2006) by Meredith W — 04 Jan 2013

"The Namesake" is a poignant film, based on a wonderful work of fiction, and it is never anything other than faithful to its source material. The cast are by and large, superb. Kal Penn does really well as the central character, Gogol, portraying the character as a confused, vulnerable, and multi-layered young man who ultimately learns to become comfortable in his own skin.

As for his parents Ashok and Ashima, they bring a mix of loneliness and pathos to their roles as people who cannot let go of their past but are prepared to sacrifice everything for their future. It is this ordinariness is what makes their characters so credible and sympathetic.

The movie commences in India with Ashima, a young girl in India, introduced to a prospective husband, Ashoke. (She decides she likes him after standing in his Western shoes outside the door.) They marry and she is taken to the wintery U.

S. to live in initial isolation. What ensures is a touching examination of the universal themes of loneliness, custom, identity and finding one's place in the world are the ensuring themes. Despite cramming a story spanning 30 years into its running time, the film is well-paced, beautifully shot and lyrical.

The movie captures the hustle and bustle of India, in contrast to the loud, vibrant and colourful life to a lonely, cold, and snow-white U.S. New York is breathtaking.