I went into the screening not knowing much about it, nor the book from which it was taken. It won me over on its own merits. The feelings were genuine, the characters warm and complex. The contrast of cultures was demeaning to neither Bengali or American, and yet the interplay between them was revealing and at times funny. The performances of Tabu, Irfan Khan and Kal Penn were genuine and multidimensional and brought life to their roles. For those who don't like reading subtitles, there aren't that many, since much of the soundtrack is in English. This movie is sticking with me in a very pleasant way and I'm enjoying reflecting on its scenes and characters. I'll be looking for other films from it's director Mira Nair. I had the same reaction to another woman director from India when I saw Deepa Mehta's "Water" last year which garnered an Oscar nomination for best foreign film. This is movie for people with a heart and a brain, but most of all a heart.
Review of The Namesake
