Post by klep on May 28, 2018 10:21:08 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 5/28: The Namesake
IMMIGRANT WEEK!
Note: This week's essay is contributed by Deepayan Sengupta.
Immigrant stories are rarely, if ever, about one person. When someone makes the decision to leave the country they grew up in to travel to another one in which to permanently establish their life going forward, it affects not just them, but the course of their entire familial future, as well as those around them. The culture one grows up in fundamentally affects how they interact with the world, and the children of immigrants and those who immigrate at a young age forever deal with grappling issues of identity, trying to find their balance while perennially hopping between two worlds. It's a struggle that large swaths of the population around the world can identify with, and yet, there have been frustratingly few depictions of this on screen, which is just one of the reasons Mira Nair's movie The Namesake, as well as the Jhumpa Lahiri novel it's adapted from, resonates so strongly.
One of the best things about The Namesake is the fact that it focuses on a family that, for all intents and purposes, is an average one. Ashoke is a professor, Ashima works in a library, and Gogol becomes an architect. The reflection of immigrant life is extraordinary in how ordinary it is; these are not people who save the world or become titans in their field, but everyday Americans who just happen to not be born in the country. The demographics of European and North American countries are a rich tapestry of immigrants and first generation individuals just like the Gangulis, people whose stories deserve more recognition.
There's a lot of Gogol's story, both in the novel and in the movie, that resonates with me personally. In particular, Gogol's struggle with identity, and what aspects of which culture make him who he is, are aspects I understand on a fundamental level, but have never seen reflected onscreen in this capacity. The film does an excellent job contrasting Gogol's journey with that of his parents, as well as Moushumi's. Moushumi's journey is particularly interesting; in many ways, her struggle with whether she wants to become like her parents or not is one that's universally recognized, and is a place Gogol might still have been in had it not been for the death of his father. (Note, for example, that the dire prediction Ashima's friend made that Nikhil would be shortened to Nick comes true almost immediately, as the first scene we see after Gogol changes his name has Maxine's parents call him Nick, even misspelling his name on the birthday cake they give him). Moushumi's struggle with rejecting anything she perceives as a facet of bengali culture, to the point of destroying her marriage, is painfully relatable, and the movie's strength lies in not condoning or condemning any one way of coming to terms with the uniting of the two cultures. Moushumi is on a journey, just like Gogol is, a journey that never really has an end for immigrants and their descendants.
The existence of The Namesake doesn't mean that there are no more immigrant stories to tell; far from it, in fact. Ashoke and Ashima's arrival as adults, and Gogol and Sonia's birth in America, means that none of them dealt with the school bullying and ostracizing that many immigrant children deal with, just as one example. The generational journey of the Gangulis is one facet of the kinds of lives immigrants lead, not a representation of all of them.
And in the end, the most important thing that movies about immigrants, like The Namesakee, do is show people that their stories matter. This is the key of why representation is important; seeing one's story reflected onscreen lets people know that their life stories are worth telling, and that they're seen, and visible.
In addition, it allows for those with similar life stories to see new angles and new perspectives on them. Take, for example, the scene where Ashoke tells Gogol the inspiration for his name. The weight of the name's meaning makes Gogol question his feelings on it in the moment, and watching that, it's easy to imagine how other immigrant and first generation children might re-examine how they feel about their own names.
The Namesake also gives those with differing life stories a chance to see how the other half lives, and to see things they might not otherwise know about. It remains a vibrant tale of cultural identity, one that holds something for everyone, be they an immigrant or not.
And besides, in how many other movies are you going to see two first generation Americans of South Asian descent in a relationship together?
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 6/4: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
PRIDE WEEK!
For Pride Week we'll be covering this Oscar-winning queer classic from Australia starring Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce early in their film careers. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is available for rent on Amazon Video, though it is only free for Prime members with a Starz add-on.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 5/29: Gremlins 2: The New Batch
This week the podcast looks at self-aware sequels with Gremlins and Deadpool 2. We'll have a thread on Wednesday for discussion of the older film. Gremlins 2 is available for rent on Amazon Instant Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
IMMIGRANT WEEK!
Note: This week's essay is contributed by Deepayan Sengupta.
Immigrant stories are rarely, if ever, about one person. When someone makes the decision to leave the country they grew up in to travel to another one in which to permanently establish their life going forward, it affects not just them, but the course of their entire familial future, as well as those around them. The culture one grows up in fundamentally affects how they interact with the world, and the children of immigrants and those who immigrate at a young age forever deal with grappling issues of identity, trying to find their balance while perennially hopping between two worlds. It's a struggle that large swaths of the population around the world can identify with, and yet, there have been frustratingly few depictions of this on screen, which is just one of the reasons Mira Nair's movie The Namesake, as well as the Jhumpa Lahiri novel it's adapted from, resonates so strongly.
One of the best things about The Namesake is the fact that it focuses on a family that, for all intents and purposes, is an average one. Ashoke is a professor, Ashima works in a library, and Gogol becomes an architect. The reflection of immigrant life is extraordinary in how ordinary it is; these are not people who save the world or become titans in their field, but everyday Americans who just happen to not be born in the country. The demographics of European and North American countries are a rich tapestry of immigrants and first generation individuals just like the Gangulis, people whose stories deserve more recognition.
There's a lot of Gogol's story, both in the novel and in the movie, that resonates with me personally. In particular, Gogol's struggle with identity, and what aspects of which culture make him who he is, are aspects I understand on a fundamental level, but have never seen reflected onscreen in this capacity. The film does an excellent job contrasting Gogol's journey with that of his parents, as well as Moushumi's. Moushumi's journey is particularly interesting; in many ways, her struggle with whether she wants to become like her parents or not is one that's universally recognized, and is a place Gogol might still have been in had it not been for the death of his father. (Note, for example, that the dire prediction Ashima's friend made that Nikhil would be shortened to Nick comes true almost immediately, as the first scene we see after Gogol changes his name has Maxine's parents call him Nick, even misspelling his name on the birthday cake they give him). Moushumi's struggle with rejecting anything she perceives as a facet of bengali culture, to the point of destroying her marriage, is painfully relatable, and the movie's strength lies in not condoning or condemning any one way of coming to terms with the uniting of the two cultures. Moushumi is on a journey, just like Gogol is, a journey that never really has an end for immigrants and their descendants.
The existence of The Namesake doesn't mean that there are no more immigrant stories to tell; far from it, in fact. Ashoke and Ashima's arrival as adults, and Gogol and Sonia's birth in America, means that none of them dealt with the school bullying and ostracizing that many immigrant children deal with, just as one example. The generational journey of the Gangulis is one facet of the kinds of lives immigrants lead, not a representation of all of them.
And in the end, the most important thing that movies about immigrants, like The Namesakee, do is show people that their stories matter. This is the key of why representation is important; seeing one's story reflected onscreen lets people know that their life stories are worth telling, and that they're seen, and visible.
In addition, it allows for those with similar life stories to see new angles and new perspectives on them. Take, for example, the scene where Ashoke tells Gogol the inspiration for his name. The weight of the name's meaning makes Gogol question his feelings on it in the moment, and watching that, it's easy to imagine how other immigrant and first generation children might re-examine how they feel about their own names.
The Namesake also gives those with differing life stories a chance to see how the other half lives, and to see things they might not otherwise know about. It remains a vibrant tale of cultural identity, one that holds something for everyone, be they an immigrant or not.
And besides, in how many other movies are you going to see two first generation Americans of South Asian descent in a relationship together?
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 6/4: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
PRIDE WEEK!
For Pride Week we'll be covering this Oscar-winning queer classic from Australia starring Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce early in their film careers. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is available for rent on Amazon Video, though it is only free for Prime members with a Starz add-on.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 5/29: Gremlins 2: The New Batch
This week the podcast looks at self-aware sequels with Gremlins and Deadpool 2. We'll have a thread on Wednesday for discussion of the older film. Gremlins 2 is available for rent on Amazon Instant Video, though it is not free for Prime members.