After
her
mother
commits
suicide
(for
reasons
unknown),
17-year-old
Nazneen
(Chatterjee)
is
forced
into
an
arranged
marriage
with
Chanu
(Kaushik),
an
older
man
working
as
a
civil
servant
in
London.
Nazneen
clings
to
memories
of
her
idyllic
village
in
Bangladesh
as
she
raises
two
teenage
daughters
in
a
cramped
apartment
in
a
cheerless
cinder
block
complex,
while
Chanu
dreams
of
furthering
his
career
in
his
adopted
country
until
he"s
passed
over
for
promotion.
When
he
abruptly
quits
his
job,
Nazneen
takes
up
sewing
to
pay
the
bills
and
slowly
but
surely
falls
in
lust
with
Karim
(Christopher
Simpson),
a
younger
man
who
delivers
the
cloth
to
her
home.
Then
the
planes
slam
into
the
Twin
Towers.
Karim
grows
a
beard
and
adopts
traditional
dress
in
response
to
the
bigotry
directed
against
Muslims.
Chanu
undergoes
a
change
of
heart
that
convinces
him
that
his
family
would
be
better
back
in
Bangladesh.
But
Nazneen
realizes
she
has
become
a
Western
woman,
no
longer
suited
to
the
place
and
life
she
has
left
behind.
Directed
by
first-timer
Sarah
Gavron
with
screenplay
by
Abi
Morgan
and
Laura
Jones
(who
adapted
the
2003
novel
by
Monica
Ali),
the
movie
wants
to
be
hard-edged
and
romantic,
eventually
settling
for
melodrama
despite
its
serious
subject
matter
of
Muslim
immigrants
struggling
against
an
upsurge
in
prejudice
following
September
11.
While
the
movie
holds
our
interest,
the
characters
are
not
fully
developed
enough
to
elicit
any
real
attachment
on
our
part.
We
know
Nazneen
is
unhappy
but
when
she
finally
flashes
a
smile
halfway
through
the
film,
we
don't
empathize
with
her
improving
situation.
Later,
when
she
stands
up
for
herself
in
several
scenes,
we
feel
no
triumphant
stirring
on
her
behalf.
When
Shahana
begs
her
mother
to
tell
her
father
how
she
really
feels
about
returning
to
Bangladesh,
and
flees
to
the
London
streets
and
subway,
we
don't
share
the
young
girl's
desperation.
Gavron
coaxes
good
performances
from
her
cast
and
she
captures
the
look
and
feel
of
council
housing
in
East
End
London
(Brick
Lane
famous
as
the
portal
to
multicultural
Britain),
but
her
inexperience
shows
in
the
editing.
It"s
unclear
how
much
time
is
passing
as
the
plot
unfolds
and
important
elements
in
the
story
are
handled
obliquely.
On
the
other
hand,
actress
Tannishtha
Chatterjee
is
refreshing
(if
not
always
convincing)
as
a
woman
who
commences
an
adulterous
affair
despite
her
adherence
to
Islam.
Satish
Kaushik
is
equally
amusing
as
her
fat
and
fatuous
husband,
a
role
that
requires
the
right
balance
of
charm
and
satire.
Watch
it
for
the
performances
by
Tannishtha
and
the
under
used
in
Bollywood,
Satish
Kaushik.
Cast:
Tannishtha
Chatterjee,
Satish
Kaushik,
Christopher
Simpson
and
Naeema
Begum
Director:
Sarah
Gavron