Reviews
I Can’t Think Straight
April 3 2009
Shamim Sarif
Starring Lisa Ray, Sheetal Sheth, Nina Wadia
Related reviews and interviews
That I Can’t Think Straight even scored a release makes it more successful than it has any right to be. Beset by myriad production snafus throughout filming – at one point a backer disappeared with the reels, and director Shamim Sarif spent a year in court trying to get them back – it should be easy to appreciate this as a triumph of independent cinema. But it’s such a mish-mash of terrible ideas next to sincere and affecting themes that it never really works and repeatedly sabotages any recommendation.
The worst of these ideas, and it’s worth getting this out of the way at the start, is the dubbing. For a film shot primarily in the UK with English speaking actors, this defies sense and instantly puts up a wall that’s impossible to get over. Even if you could, for the first half, there’s not much on the other side, as the film mires itself in traditional rom-com clichés, simple physical comedy and empty dialogue that advances the plot but says nothing.
At the centre of it all is Tala (Lisa Ray), a shy girl on the cusp of understanding that she’s a lesbian, who maintains an uneventful heterosexual relationship more for friendship than anything else. It’s not until she meets the spirited Leyla (Sheetal Sheth) that Tala realises the truth while gradually fallinf in love. It’s at this point that I Can’t Think Straight starts to shed the tired staples of the genre for a much more satisfying story of two people trying to find a way to be together. Sheth and Ray have some real chemistry, and the resonance of their passion and affection stands out against the off-the-shelf characters in the supporting cast.
But as this romance delicately unfolds, Sarif chooses to pepper the dialogue with political discourse on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. For 30-odd seconds every few scenes, a few trite words are exchanged on the issue, which are ultimately offensive to both sides. Like the decision to dub, this is a terrible idea and it’s hard to comprehend the thinking behind it in a romantic comedy.
The sense of discomfort these scenes deliver lingers throughout the film, as does the impenetrable block of the dubbing, which is a shame because there’s a decent love story at the heart of I Can’t Think Straight that would stand on its own if only it was allowed to.
Anticipation:
Enjoyment:
In Retrospect:
I'm not agree with you, I think the movie is great and it does get a good success on box office.
Written by Rose on June 24th, 2009 at 11:36
Actually it is not good it is one of the greatest movie I have ever seen. You review just talk about the bad side but you never look on to the brighter side.
Written by stephanie on July 4th, 2009 at 07:33
This movie deals with a variety of different themes, Love, Religion, Politics, War, Social and Cultural heritage to name but a few.. Given the nature of these topics and the diversity opinion they conjure up, I think Ms Sharif has been shrewd in her decison to keep the movie light. None the less, it is evident this film has been shot by an individual with an educated and refined eye and one who has perhaphs been familiar with the conversations and context in which these issues will be discussed. While it is tempting to think we live in an open minded and inclusive society, films such as this stand testiment to the difficulties still faced by many individuals and for that reason alone, it's worth watching..
Written by Relpy? on August 24th, 2009 at 18:22