Brick Lane (2007 film)

Plot

The film tells the story of Nazneen, who grew up in rural Bangladesh, in the district of Mymensingh. At 17 she has an arranged marriage to Chanu Ahmed, who is twice her age. They soon move to Brick Lane in London, the centre of the British Bangladeshi community. She leaves behind her sister and her family home.

Married to a man she does not love, Nazneen lives vicariously through the letters she receives from her sister about her carefree life. The film picks up the story after Nazneen and her husband have lived in a small flat for 16 years and been raising 2 daughters.

Nazneen becomes filled with desire for a young, good-looking clothing worker named Karim who visits her flat, and they have an affair. The movie takes place following the 9/11 attacks on the United States by al-Qaeda, and reflects a period of heightened racial tensions in Britain as well. The Bangladeshi Muslim community was becoming increasingly religious, as reflected in the character of Karim.

Casting and production

Tannishtha Chatterjee was the first actress who auditioned for the role of Nazneen. Two months after her initial audition, after Gavron had seen several hundred women, Gavron hired her. Both Christopher Simpson, who played Karim, and Chatterjee studied the Bangladeshi culture in Brick Lane by following around locals. Satish Kaushik was cast after Gavron saw a picture of him on the Internet. Since Brick Lane was his first English-language film, he took lessons from a diction coach to improve his accent.

Many residents of Brick Lane were hired as extras to appear on the film, and some members of crew were hired from the local area. The film's winter scenes were shot in the middle of a heat wave in Summer 2006, which required the production team to use artificial snow. Portions of the film were shot in West Bengal.

Ruby Films was the production company. Sarah Gavron intended to film some scenes in Brick Lane. Because of opposition from some of the local community, police advised her to change locations after demonstrations were threatened.

The novel and film provoked criticism by some in the Bangladeshi community in London, who thought that Chanu and the Bangladeshis from Sylheti generally, were portrayed in a negative way. Some traders organized against having the film company doing any production in the neighborhood; on 31 July 2006, about 120 British Bangladeshis held a protest in Brick Lane. Others wrote letters to the editor in The Guardian and spoke in support of the film production, including the British chapter of PEN and the writer Salman Rushdie.

Cast

Critical reception

Brick Lane was well received by most critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 63% based on 98 reviews with a weighted average score of 6.2/10. The site's consensus states: "Frustratingly slow-moving, but ultimately saved by Chatterjee's solid acting and Gavron's gentle patience." On Metacritic, the film has a normalized score of 61% based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Roger Ebert praised the film's characters for their "depth and reality." Several critics, including Robert Koehler of Variety, compared it unfavourably with the novel. The film was also praised in France.

As a result of the earlier controversy and a threatened protest, a planned screening for Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall was cancelled.

Soundtrack

1. "Adam's Lullaby" - (Natacha Atlas) - 3:05
2. "Memories of a Summer" - 4:02
3. "Poem" - 1:56
4. "Running Through the Night" - 3:10
5. "Song of the Boatman" - 3:47
6. "A World Changed" - 2:34
7. "Quiet Joy" - 3:03
8. "Picnic at the Palace" - 1:55
9. "Tapur Tapur" - 2:45
10. "Love Blossoms" - 2:44
11. "Rite of Passage" - 2:02
12. "Departure" - 1:46
13. "Leelabali" - 2:38
14. "Childhood Fragments" - 1:48
15. "Dreaiming" - 6:04
16. "Playing in the Paddy Fields" - 2:57
17. "The First Kiss" - 1:47
18. "Dol Dol Duluni" - Traditional (Tannishtha Chatterjee) - 1:51

Awards

Sarah Gavron was nominated for a BAFTA award. Both Tannishtha Chatterjee and Sarah Gavron were nominated for BIFA awards, for the best actress and best director in 2007, respectively.The film won a Silver Hitchcock and best screenplay at the Dinard Festival of British Cinema.

DVD release

The film was released in the UK on 16 November 2007, and in the US by Sony Pictures Classics in a limited release on 20 June 2008. The DVD Region 2 release occurred on 10 March 2008 and the Region 1 DVD of the film was released on 13 January 2009.