The Namesake

Went to see The Namesake the other day. It is directed by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding), and it deals with a family who emigrate from India to America, and the trials and tribulations attendant to moving to a new homeland and bringing up your kids in a different culture.

This film really spoke to me. My parents moved over from India in 1975, when my brother was just six months old. When he started school, he was getting confused by speaking English at school and Assamese at home, so my parents decided to bring us up as English speakers. We both know and understand a bit of Assamese, but couldn't have a conversation. Mum and Dad have pretty much brought us up as British, which I think is the right thing to do - I cannot stand the thought of certain sections of the community who seem to be hostile (or at least indifferent) towards the "host" society. As a matter of interest, my brother's wife is a Yorkshire woman, and my girlfriend is from Nottingham, with an Italian grandmother who moved over here with her English husband after the war - there was no pressure from Mum and Dad to find "a suitable Indian girl".

Some bits of the film are very moving, some bits spoke to me as a second-generation immigrant trying to understand the cultural complexities that my folks must have faced in moving to the other side of the world. I won't give any of it away in case you choose to go and see it. I confess that I definitely got more out of seeing the film than my girlfriend - I do think you have to be Indian to understand some of the nuances and cultural references.

I heartily recommend this film (including the soundtrack, by Nitin Sawnhey) - it is only being shown at a few cinemas, so catch it while you can.