Brick Lane

Dir: Sarah Gavron

2007

***

While Sarah Gavron's adaptation of Monica Ali's Man Booker nominated novel left out much of what made it controversial, it still managed to attract a lot of attention but also left out much of what I thought made the story so good in the first place. In the novel, it is explained that the main character Nazneen, travels to Britain from Bangladesh to meet her husband with only two English words to her disposal, 'Thank you' and 'Sorry'. For me, this summed up the fear, entrapment, frustration and what was expected from these women in a single paragraph. British Bangladeshis were not happy with their portrayal in the book and many protested the film while it was filmed. Pam Greer waded into the argument and made a good comment that author Monica Ali had never lived in the Brick Lane community and didn't even speak Bangladeshi but I think she and many others missed the point of the story. I don't think Monica Ali sought to insult or portray the people of the Sylhet region in a negative light, indeed, only one character came from there. Many Bangladeshis feature in the film, each is very different from the other, just like in all cultures. Arranged marriage is not just a subject that concerns Bangladeshis either and that is really what the film is about. Many people have experienced their version of what Nazneen went through, this film is about identity, rather than simply culture. The fact that Nazneen can only say 'Thank you' and 'Sorry' doesn't feature in the film and it is the worse for it, indeed, what I felt when reading it for the first time is never equalled or replicated within the film. The acting from the key players is very good but it isn't always that great from the supporting cast. The direction is generally very good, especially the scenes in Bangladesh but it is often terribly slow and meandering. Overall it's an above-average drama that I feel could have been better and should have been better given the source material.

Suffragette
Dir: Sarah Gavron
2015
***
A big motion picture retelling the story of the British Women's Suffrage movement was long overdue. There are parts of history that most people will be familiar with, they will know the names of Emmeline Pankhurst and Emily Davison and they will know what happened at Epson Racecourse in 1913. I have to confess I didn't know much more than that myself, so was looking forward to learning more about a subject everyone should be familiar with. Unfortunately, I learnt little more than I already knew. So much was left out in fact that as soon as I got home I read up on the history of the movement, so I suppose I can thank the film for that but a subject such as this deserved better. It's not too hard to imagine the hardships that women faced before the vote, it was right to show an example of this but I don't think it should have been the whole film. I also can't help but think that a historical account of events could have featured real people rather than be lead by a fictional character. Carey Mulligan's performance as Maud Watts was great and I'm sure she captured the essence of many women of the movement at that time but surely a real person could have been found to be portrayed to give the film the realism it deserved. I'm afraid it is this lack of realism that really lets the film down. The development of the factual characters is shoddy at best, Natalie Press plays Emily Davison fine but her character is never explained or believable, even though she is a real person. The real Davison went through real hardship and had attempted suicide in prison many times before and at the time of the incident at Epson she was suffering severely from head and spinal damage from throwing herself down a concrete staircase when imprisoned the previous year. None of this was explored. Another moving true story that wasn't mentioned was that the Jockey of the King's Horse that she threw herself in front of, actually laid a wreath for her at Pankhurst's funeral. In fact, the incident at Epson should have been the beginning of the film, everything else that happened after that, the really important stuff, was dismissed and reduced to a couple of lines before the end credits. I felt that I had watched only half a film, considering the subject it should have been a three hour biopic. I think it's quite interesting that Helena Bonham Carter, who played Edith Ellyn, is the great-granddaughter of H.H. Asquith who was Prime Minister at the time the film was set and was strongly opposed to the votes for women. It's a nice bit of reprehension that is overshadowed somewhat by the casting of Meryl Streep. Streep is a great actress, without doubt, but she's clearly cast here for the sake of her name. Streep puts bums on seats, she's in the film for a matter of minutes but features on all the posters. Personally I would have liked and expected to learn far more about Emmeline Pankhurst in a film about the suffragettes and as much as I like Streep, there are plenty of British actresses who could have done just as well if not better. A big name star in a film that should be as realistic as possible is distraction and I do believe it was Sarah Gavron's intention for it to be realistic. The film is mainly shot from spectator perspective, in other words it's wobbly camera all the way. This didn't work for me at all. The last time I felt this dizzy after a film is when I went to see Gravity. I have many issues with the film but I have to admit it does pack a punch. It never holds back, really does show the hardship women faced and why the women were forced to take drastic and forceful action. I just wanted more of the facts and to be able to watch without getting motion sickness. It's like a really good TV drama filmed by someone on a unicycle. Good, but the story deserved better in my opinion.

Village At The End Of The World
Dir: Sarah Gavron, David Katznelson
2012
****
Village At The End Of The World feels like a Werner Herzog documentary but without Werner Herzog. As much as I love his voice, Village At The End Of The World doesn't actually need narration and directors Sarah Gavron and David Katznelson wisely leave the people of the Village to speak for themselves. The extraordinary and ordinary are both explored in this insightful and generally happy documentary that reminded me somewhat of Happy People: A Year in the Taiga although there is little mystery here, everything is honest and dare I say a little less conceited. The feel good documentary of 2012.

The Girl in the Lay-By

Dir: Sarah Gavron

2000

***

A short that starts off grim but ends on a high note. The Girl in the Lay-By is a an age old tale of seizing the moment and having no regrets. If I'm being perfectly honest it would have been pretty average, if not somewhat forgettable had it not been for a particular scene where the Girl declines a dance with an old man and suggests 'Maybe next time?' to which he replies "No, You take your chance or it's gone". It's a simple yet powerful scene that makes this short very much worth watching.