I got the chance to check out West is West at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. Here’s my review that appeared on Dose.ca’s TIFF Blog.
***
Cast: Om Puri, Linda Bassett, Aqib Khan
Kinda Like: Watching an entire family go through an identity crisis…again, but this time in a foreign land.
The Deal: A sequel to 1999’s East Is East, about a Pakistani immigrant, George (Om Puri), and his children with his British wife, Ella (Linda Bassett), in 1970s England. West Is West focuses on the youngest son, Sajid, who is now a mischievous 15-year-old who skips out on school (due to bullying) and rebels against his Pakistani roots. As with the first film, the Khan family’s search for identity is still a shared experienced with the audience.
George decides to take Sajid to rural Pakistan, where he hopes he’ll become proud of his heritage. The coming-of-age story is not just for the son but also for the father – as he must deal with the resentment from his estranged first wife and daughters, whom he had left behind thirty years ago. Realizing that sending them money wasn’t enough, George decides to extend his trip and build them a modern house, without telling his second wife, who is back in Britain.
While comedic elements were quite strong in the first film, the sequel is much more serious – however this should not negatively influence those who enjoyed the first film so much. The scene involving both of George’s wives, who do not speak a common language, is quite moving and heartbreaking.
Rating: 4/5
– Jeevan Brar/Dose.ca
