The Big Issue – August 05, 2019

CULTURE

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FILM

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uton,1987.“Gobackhometoyourowncountry.”ANationalFrontskinhead

inDocMartens,hisfacetwistedwithhate,spitsata17-year-oldBritish-

Pakistanikidwalkinghomefromcollege.Fiveyearsago,youmight’ve

watchedthisscenecomfortedbythethought:Wellatleastuglyblatantracism

likethatishistory,gonethewayofWalkmans,GoldenWondercrispsandtherestof

the1980sdetailinBlindedbytheLight, GurinderChadha’smostlylightweightcomedy-

ĢƢþůþȀěƷŎŻűþŦŎƪŎűłƷʼnĩ ǜƢŎƷĩƢþűĢGuardianjournalistSarfrazManzoor’smemoirabout

histeenageyearsinLuton.Buttoday,thepresidentoftheUnitedStatestweets‘goback',

wehavea PrimeMinisterwhocomparesMuslimwomentobankrobbersandracialhate

crimehasincreasedsinceBrexit.

It’sdepressinganditgivesBlindedbytheLightþ űþƪƷǢþǼƷĩƢƷþƪƷĩ᠄þ ěŻűƷĩůƟŻƢþƢǢ

chargethatwaspossiblynotonChadha’smindasshedirectedManzoor’sstorywith

a bittoomuchoftheweapons-gradefeelgoodthathasbecomeherbrandsinceBend

ItLikeBeckham. Inthedeterminationtoleavenocrowdunpleased,therearesome

shamelesslysentimentalscenesherethatlosetouchwiththeacute,sometimespainful

andemotionallygenerousspiritofManzoor'swritingaboutfamily.

Sayingthat,theManzoorcharacter,16-year-oldJaved,isbeautifullyplayedby

newcomerViveikKalra.He’sthesonofMuslimPakistaniimmigrants,hisdad(Kulvinder

Ghir)worksontheproductionlineatVauxhallandexpectshissontobecomean

accountantorsolicitor.ButJaveddreamsofa careerwriting(“writingisforEnglish

ƟĩŻƟŦĩǜŎƷʼnƢŎěʼnƟþƢĩűƷƪᡐ᠄ĢþĢƪþǢƪᠨ᠐ȃĩ ȀŦůŎƪ ǛĩƢǢłŻŻĢþƷ ƢĩěƢĩþƷŎűłƷʼnþƷůŻůĩűƷþƪ

þ ƷĩĩűþłĩƢǜʼnĩűǢŻƿ ȀűĢǢŻƿƢůƿƪŎěþŦƪŻƿŦůþƷĩᠵ Ʒʼnĩ ĚþűĢŻƢ ƪŎűłĩƢǜʼnŻþƢƷŎěƿŦþƷĩƪ

everythingyou’veeverfeltbutcouldn'tquiteputintowords.ForJavedit’sBruce

®ƟƢŎűłƪƷĩĩű᠄ǜʼnŻĚǢ  ژᚇᚆŎƪ ěŻűƪŎĢĩƢĩĢƿűƪƟĩþţþĚŦǢűþDzŁĚǢ ůŻƪƷƷĩĩűþłĩƢƪ᠐dþǛĩĢᡒƪ

ŦĩǼƷŎĩŦŻǛĩŎűƷĩƢĩƪƷ/ŦŎǬþᠧtĩŦŦàŎŦŦŎþůƪᠨƷĩŦŦƪʼnŎůǜŎƷʼnĢŎƪłƿƪƷƷʼnþƷ¦ŻűþŦĢ¦ĩþłþűŎƪ þ

Springsteenfan.ButforJaved,growingupinworking-classLutonfeelinglikehe’sgot

nofutureandzeroprospects,Springsteenishisman.MeanwhilehisEnglishteacher

(HayleyAtwell)encourageshimtokeepwriting.

ȃĩ ȀŦůŁĩþƷƿƢĩƪƪŻůĩűŎěĩŦǢěŻůŎě/ŎłʼnƷŎĩƪĢĩƷþŎŦƪ᠃¦ŻĚƢǢĢŻűǜŎƷʼnþ ¦ŻĢ®ƷĩǜþƢƷ

mulletgetssomelaughsplayingthemarkettraderdadofJaved’sbestmate.Andfew

BEHINDTHEBORDER

A tailor,taxidriveranda

14-year-oldboywithdreamsof

ĚĩěŻůŎűłþ ȀƪʼnĩƢůþűþƢĩ þůŻűł

theinhabitantsfeaturedinGaza,

a powerfuldocumentaryshowing

ordinarylifeinthewar-torn

region.“Abig,openprison”is

howoneofthemdescribesthe

stripoflandjust 25 mileslong

andhometoalmosttwo

millionPalestinians.

GazaisincinemasfromAugust 9

Y o u r h o m e t o w n

REVIEW ůŻůĩűƷƪþƢĩłĩűƿŎűĩŦǢʼnŎŦþƢŎŻƿƪᠵ

like an excruciating scene of social

awkwardness when Eliza invites Javed

ƢŻƿűĢŁŻƢ Ʒĩþ᠕ʼnĩƢ ȃþƷěʼnĩƢᠸŦŻǛŎűłƷƢƿĩ

blueToryparentsarefrightfullypolite

butclearlyaghastattheAsianboyin

theirhouse.

ȃĩƢĩᡒƪþ ŦŻƷ ŻŁ ěƢŻƪƪŻǛĩƢʼnĩƢĩƷŻŻ

withBendItLikeBeckhamᠵ þűŻƷʼnĩƢ

comingofagestoryabouta second-

generationkidtornbetweenduty

toa stricttraditionalfamilyandthe

desiretodoherownthing.Butwhere

Beckhamstrucka balanceoffunny

andwarm-hearted,BlindedbytheLight

attimesfeelslikepureemotional

manipulation,withsomecringe-

makingsong-and-dancenumbersto

Springsteentracks.

SƷᡒƪ Ʒʼnĩ ȀŦůᡒƪůŻƢĩƪĩƢŎŻƿƪ

momentsthatstayedwithme.Javed’s

shameandangerwhenfamilyfriends

downplaythedailyracistabuse

ŎűǴŦŎěƷĩĢŻű ƷʼnĩůĚǢ űĩŎłʼnĚŻƿƢƪᠵ þ

ƪǜþƪƷŎţþłƢþDzȀƷŎĩĢŻű Ʒʼnĩ ǜþŦŦ᠄ŦŎƷƷŦĩ

kidspissingthroughtheletterbox.

Javedhasgrownupsurroundedbythe

mantrathatAsiansneedtokeeptheir

ʼnĩþĢƪĢŻǜűᠵ þ ĚĩŦŎĩŁƢŻŻƷĩĢŎű ʼnŎƪ

parents’generation’sfearthatoneday

theycouldbesentback.Itshouldn’tbe

ƢĩŦĩǛþűƷƷŻĢþǢ᠄ĚƿƷ ƿƟƪĩƷƷŎűłŦǢ᠄þǼƷĩƢ

Windrush,itdoesn’tfeelcompletely

consignedtohistory.

BlindedbytheLightisincinemas

fromAugust 9

@CathxClarke

Born in the UK

Luton, to be exact.

Javed wants to write,

not work at a car plant

Racism, Thatcher and Luton. Gurinder Chadha’s Springsteen-

inspired comedy drama has moments of greatness but

today’s charged politics add a bitter taste, says Cath Clarke

ǻȀɯǼǼg&g]cǽǻǼȄ .&.]]gJCʸ 35