Based on the celebrated novel by Monica Ali, this is a bold adaptation from Sarah Gavron – confidently directed, intelligent and suffused in the glittering colours of Michael O’Connor’s beautiful costumes, echoed by Robbie Ryan’s photography.
Brick Lane follows Nazneen, a Bangladeshi girl sent to England in the 1980s to marry an older man. It’s a story of immigration and isolation – a story which, in many ways, has come to define the last three decades of British life.
But Nazneen is no cipher. Thanks to a sensitive performance from Tannishtha Chatterjee, she never comes across as a victim, despite the loneliness that radiates from her sad brown eyes. Nazneen is strong and sensual, brave even, first in her decision to explore the charms of the radical Karim (Christopher Simpson), and then to reject him for her husband.
In fact, it’s Nazneen’s husband, Chanu (Satish Kaushik), who takes the film’s most poignant journey. He is the archetypal immigrant – a firm believer in English values, and cheerfully stoic in the face of prejudice. But where Nazneen, ultimately, will find resolution or at least some sense of inner rootedness, Chanu will see his faith go unrewarded. First his belief in the English is dismantled and ruined, and then, in the wake of 9/11 and the rise in Islamic militancy, his belief in his Muslim identity is shaken to the core.
The East End of London also plays its part. This is a satisfyingly squalid vision of the capital, but one which finds a beguiling urban poetry in the collision of markets, flats and everyday lives that thrive far away from the usual postcard spots.
A local squabble saw plans to film on the real Brick Lane shelved, however, and you can have some sympathy with those residents who thought they were being unfairly stereotyped. The film’s second half deals with the aftermath of 9/11 in little more than tabloid fashion, but that scarcely detracts from Brick Lane’s haunting and languid beauty.
