Brick Lane review

Monica Ali's debut novel was nominated for the Booker Prize in 2003 for its stark depiction of a dismal marriage set in the eponymous London street of the title. It caused a fuss for the indigenous Bangladeshi people who perceived it as a slight upon their national character, and more protests followed when the big screen version was announced.

Of course none of those protesters had actually seen the film and few had likely read the book. If they had they would have found that Ali's is a sensitive depiction of a woman's struggle. Neatly directed by Sarah Gavron, the big screen version scores as a portrayal of a troubled relationship and contains some sparkling peformances from the leading actors. It's only when it brings in a political angle that things become muddled.

Tannishtha Chatteree stars as Nazneen, an attractive Bangladeshi thirtysomething who has spent the last twenty years married to a much older man (an effervescent Satish Kaushik). He is a dreamer, a well-read but small-minded petty official who fully expects his wife to perform what he sees as traditional duties. Stifled in their council estate flat, Nazneen's only window on the outside world comes from her sister's letters from the homeland.

Two things change when Nazneen is offered work sewing from home: firstly, she can earn some independent money, and secondly sparks begin to fly between her and the charming Karim (Christopher Simpson), who delivers the materials to her. But when political events, both local and national, force Karim to take action, his relationship with Nazneen as well as her own marriage is jeopardized.

The political side of the film seems unsure of itself and curiously dated already, and it never seems to make any salient point. It's on a personal level that Brick Lane works best, and I for one enjoyed the film a lot more than I did the book.

Paul Hurley