Brick Lane

Sometimes I wonder how many good movies I am missing out on just for sheer lack of time to be sitting in front of the screen. This thought comes up after watching Brick Lane, and wondering where it came from. A recommendation from a friend at some time in the past leads to it showing up on my Netflix queue and eventually into my home? And yet I have no recollection of ever having even heard of it. It is nice to be surprised by a pleasant little film. Nazneen is a Bangladeshi woman who is "sent" to London for her wedding. She leaves behind her entire life, most importantly her sister, for a new life as a wife and mother in a foreign country. Throughout the film, and presumably her entire life in London, we watch Nazneen pine for Bangladesh, always dreaming of a return. But like many of us, where you are becomes your home whether you want it to be or not. That doesn't mean you can't leave, to return to your previous home or to a new home. But it often surprises us when we realize that this place we always thought of as temporary holds us in a comfortable embrace. When that place we always looked toward is revealed to be a bit dirtier, less appealing than in our minds eye. Brick Lane offers an enjoyable journey of discovery of home and family.
3-stars (out of 5)