Brick Lane is a 2007 British drama directed by Sarah Gavron and adapted from the novel of the same name by British writer Monica Ali which was published in 2003.
The film tells a story of 17-year-old Nazneen (played by Tannishtha Chatterjee), who grew up in rural Bangladesh, in the district of Mymensingh. Nazneen is arranged to marry Chanu Ahmed (Satish Kaushik) who is twice her age and leaves her sister and family behind to move to Brick Lane in East London, in the 1980s.
She experiences life back home vicariously through the letters from her sister which recount a carefree existence very unlike that of Nazneen’s, trapped as she is in a marriage to a man she does not love. It’s not that Chanu is a bad man. He lacks warmth and understanding, but he is a hard worker and there is good in his eyes. For example he likes to sing little sings to himself, which makes you sympathise with him.
The story picks up in 2001 after Nazneen and Chanu have lived in a small flat for 16 years in which they have raised two daughters.
Nazneen still doesn’t love her husband and doesn’t enjoy any of her wifely duties. Chanu pursues his dream of the proper education he needs to win a promotion at work. Instead he loses his job and has to start working as a minicab driver while his wife is stuck at home with a sewing machine.
She soon becomes attracted to a younger, good looking man named Karim (Christopher Simpson) who visits her flat and the two of them start an affair. Chanu pretends to be unaware of what is happening and remains cheerful, as if everything is fine.
The movie is set during the time of the 9/11 attacks on New York, and reflects the heightened racial tensions that were on the street in Britain at the time. Karim is representative of the type of young Bangladeshi Muslim man who was becoming increasingly religious. He grows a beard and becomes more militant. He wants to fights fire with fire. Meanwhile Chanu turns into a spokesman against extremism.
Nazneen is left with a choice, of either going back to Bangladesh or staying in London with Karim. Without wanting to spoil the conclusion, I can say that Nazneen’s decision might surprise some people. She certainly surprises herself.
Brick Lane presents us with characters who have depth and authenticity, and we have the satisfaction of seeing them change throughout the film. I found myself emotionally engaged, and was kept guessing till the very end. Brick Lane is available on DVD and can be rented on iTunes and Netflix.
“Brick Lane / street sign” by Images George Rex is licensed under CC BY-SA
