MUSLIM ROMEO, CATHOLIC JULIET.Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic ENGLISH SOCIAL realist Ken Loach has been doing his best work in Scotland recently. ``Sweet Sixteen'' and ``My Name Is Joe,'' the director's two previous Glasgow-set films, have been far more engrossing engrossing, in English law, practice of acquiring a monopoly of goods in order to sell them at an inflated price. The offense was ordinarily limited to monopolies of foods. Related practices were forestalling, i.e. and character-driven than his politicized works of the same vintage, such as ``Bread and Roses'' and ``Land & Freedom.'' ``A Fond Kiss'' continues the Scottish winning streak Noun 1. winning streak - a streak of wins streak, run - an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" , while at the same time working in the kind of wide-ranging cultural critique Loach's radical soul thrives on. Amusingly, except for the thick burrs everyone speaks with, this film has very little to do with traditional Scottish life at all. Rather, it's an up-to-the-minute, melting pot melting pot America as the home of many races and cultures. [Am. Pop. Culture: Misc.] See : America rehash re·hash tr.v. re·hashed, re·hash·ing, re·hash·es 1. To bring forth again in another form without significant alteration: rehashing old ideas. 2. To discuss again. of the reliable old ``Romeo and Juliet''/``Abbie's Irish Rose'' formula. Second-generation Pakistani club DJ Casim Khan (newcomer Atta Yaqub, exhibiting both movie star charisma and strong acting chops) falls in love with divorced, Irish Roisin Hanlon (Eva Birthistle, vulnerable and formidable in equally persuasive doses). She teaches music part time at the Catholic school Casim's little sister Tahara (Shabana Bakhsh  The of this article or section may be compromised by "weasel words".You can help Wikipedia by removing weasel words. ) attends. A very serious, and very physical, attraction connects Casim and Roisin before he has the courage to tell her his traditional Muslim family has arranged for him to marry a cousin from Pakistan. An adult orphan, Roisin doesn't understand why he can't tell his folks he loves her instead. But as backward as his parents' thinking may be on such matters, Casim loves them and thoroughly understands the factors - British racism, the horrors they experienced during the Indian subcontinent's violent partitioning, community-strengthening notions of family honor - behind their reasoning. And Roisin, who is too honest to promise Casim that their union will last unto death, discovers that her own modern lifestyle is in conflict with standards for advancing her career in the parochial school parochial school (pərō`kēəl), school supported by a religious body. In the United States such schools are maintained by a number of religious groups, including Lutherans, Seventh-day Adventists, Orthodox Jews, Muslims, and system. All of this leads to much yelling (but also trenchant, deeply revealing discussion) between the couple, followed by very hot make-up sex. Except for young Tahara, who wants to become a liberated Western woman, Casim's relatives perform appalling acts of emotional blackmail blackmail, in law, exaction of money from another by threat of exposure of criminal action or of disreputable conduct. The term was originally used for the tribute levied until the 18th cent. . However, despite having no patience for religious moralism mor·al·ism n. 1. A conventional moral maxim or attitude. 2. The act or practice of moralizing. 3. Often undue concern for morality. of any stripe, Loach presents the Khans with a great deal of empathy. When he's on his game, the filmmaker has few rivals when it comes to understanding how society's victims can slip into their own forms of petty tyranny. Loach is at top form with ``A Fond Kiss'' (and yes, in Britain, the title is spelled consistently with the Robert Burns song to a renounced lover: ``Ae Fond Kiss ... ''). It's an old-fashioned story told with fine, contemporary insight. Bob Strauss, (818) 713-3670 bob.strauss(at)dailynews.com A FOND KISS - Three stars (R: sex, nudity, language, racism) Starring: Atta Yaqub, Eva Birthistle, Shabana Bakhsh, Ahmad Raz. Director: Ken Loach. Running time: 1 hr. 43 min. Playing: Fairfax, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . In a nutshell: Your basic cross-cultural romance, this time between a Muslim guy and a Catholic gal in Scotland, is done with unusual honesty, character sympathy, emotional cruelty and sexual frankness. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Atta Yaqub plays a Pakistani DJ who falls for divorcee di·vor·cée n. A divorced woman. [French, feminine past participle of divorcer, to divorce, from Old French, from divorce, divorce; see divorce. Eva Birthistle in director Ken Loach's ``A Fine Kiss.'' |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion