As Nazneen, Tannishtha Chatterjee proves to be the quiet force that drives the film, ably projecting a depth of emotion with few words.
Brick Lane (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:93
Fresh:60
Rotten:33
Average Rating:6.1/10
Consensus: Frustratingly slow-moving, but ultimately saved by Chatterjee's solid acting and Gavron's gentle patience.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for some sexuality and brief strong language.
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:16-11-2007
Synopsis:
Nazneen’s life is turned upside down at the tender age of seventeen,. Forced into an arranged marriage to an older man, she exchanges her Bangladeshi village home for a block of flats in London’s...
Nazneen’s life is turned upside down at the tender age of seventeen,. Forced into an arranged marriage to an older man, she exchanges her Bangladeshi village home for a block of flats in London’s East End. In this new world, pining for her home and her sister, she struggles to make sense of her existence – and to do her duty to her husband. A man of inflated ideas (and stomach), he sorely tests her compliance.
Told from birth that she must not fight her fate, Nazneen submits, devoting her life to raising her family and slapping down her demons of discontent. Until the day that Karim, a hot-headed local man, bursts into her life.
Against a background of escalating racial tension, they embark on an affair that finally forces Nazneen to take control of her life. Set in multicultural Britain, Brick Lane is a truly contemporary story of love, cultural difference, and ultimately, the strength of the human spirit. --© Sony Pictures Classics
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Starring: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Satish Kaushik, Christopher Simpson, Naeema Begum
Starring: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Satish Kaushik, Christopher Simpson, Naeema Begum, Lana Rahman, Harvey Virdi, Lalita Ahmed, Zafreen
Director: Sarah Gavron
Director: Sarah Gavron
Screenwriter: Abi Morgan, Laura Jones
Producer: Alison Owen, Christopher Collins
Composer: Jocelyn Pook
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Reviews for Brick Lane
While the film tackles the issue of what the concept of 'home' means for expats and emigrants, it can also be seen as a coming-of-age story for a woman in her mid-30s.
Ultimately hopeful, Brick Lane feels careful enough to connect with its intentions, leaving behind an engaging, turbulent picture that pays careful concentration to the tender nuances of the longing, unfulfilled heart.
[The film] hits all the clichés of romantic literary adaptation: montage, letters read aloud in voice-over, a swelling musical score.
Sarah Gavron's adaptation of Monica Ali's novel is a thoughtful and often evocative drama of identity and assimilation...
Sarah Gavron's adaptation of Monica Ali's novel is a thoughtful and often evocative drama of identity and assimilation...
Adapted from the 2003 Monica Ali novel, Brick Lane is one of those feminist cries in the dark in which the heroine, a saintly sufferer, is more admirable than interesting.
One of those poorly chosen movie titles that does not do justice to the beautiful story told within.
It's a testament to Kaushik's acting ability that he turns what could have been an odious character into a quite likeable one.
Interview: These two incredibly insightful women (director Sarah Gavron and lead actress Tannishtha Chatterjee) talk about the essence in creating this amazing female lead and an overall perspective on the Muslim experience in London.
Brick Lane has beautiful scenery and some enjoyable moments but leaves the viewer feeling the need to find the book to get the rest of the story.
Brick Lane is about characters who have depth and reality, who change and learn, who have genuine feelings. And it keeps on surprising us, right to the end.
A sensitive and occasionally poetic film, Brick Lane is an absorbing tale of personal empowerment and emotional growth.
A sense of isolation and struggle for identity in an oppressive culture wash away superfluous formula, leaving a lovely tranquility in their wake.
Little more than an old story dressed up in contemporary trappings, but in this case they elevate the formula.
Gavron coaxes good performances from her cast, and she captures the look and feel of council housing in East End London...
[Chaterjee's] is a face that finds a profound eloquence in silence, transmitting an insistent intensity to the emotions revealed
Latest News for Brick Lane
January 23, 2009:
A movie whose visuals are lovely to behold and lyrically awash in sensuality and desire, but sets the lives of women back at least a few centuries. ![]()
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January 19, 2009:
A movie whose visuals are lovely to behold and lyrically awash in sensuality and desire, but sets the lives of women back at least a few centuries. ![]()
More...
June 19, 2008:
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June 18, 2008:
Arranged marriage at center of cross-cultural drama set in London. ![]()
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