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The Review - AT THE MOVIES with WILLIAM HALL
Published: 15 November 2007

Pick of the Indies

MONICA Ali faced brickbats and bouquets last year when her book Brick Lane was published: it gave commentators an easy target for their thoughts on multiculturism and the novel today.
Critics seemed to ignore whether they thought it was well-written, or even enjoyable.
Instead they seemed to concentrate on what it said about ethnicity in London.
I won’t pretend to have clear views on what the book’s hidden meanings were in terms of the state of feminism in the London Bangladeshi community, but I do hope the film is allowed a little more air time than the book was, as it is well made and features very strong performances.
And you can decide for yourself: this Friday director Sarah Gavron and lead actress Tannishtha Chatterjee are at the Curzon Soho to discuss the work.
For those who managed to ignore the book reviews, Brick Lane tells the story of Nazneen, a 17-year-old who travels from Bangladesh to east London to marry.
She misses her home and has to come to terms with being the subordinate person in a one-sided relationship.
But then she falls in with Londoner Karim – and he helps her see the strictures placed on her by a culture that seems to disrespect her rights.

• THE work of budding north London filmmakers will be featured in a special programme on the theme of the changing environment of King’s Cross/ St Pancras at the Renoir Cinema in the Brunswick Centre this Saturday at 11am (0871 7033 991).

DAN CARRIER

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