East is East

"East is East" principally tells the story of George Khan (Oin Puri), a man struggling to retain his Pakistani identity in 1970's Salford.

After leaving his first wife, Khan arrives in England to start a new life. We take up the story during his marriage to Ella, (Linda Bassett), a Northern lass with whom lie has seven children.

Khan desperately tries to raise his six sons and one daughter as Muslims by making them attend the mosque each week and arranging the eldest three sons' marriages. The siblings are, however, less enthusiastic and go to great lengths to avoid the mosquevan and seemingly any other aspect of their father's beliefs; rebelling against him in the form of eating bacon sandwiches and going clubbing.

Although concerned with serious issues such as religion and family relations, 'East is East' is often very funny; the laughs stemming from the clash of cultures and the childrens' attitudes towards the whole scenario; often refusing to go along with what is expected of them.

The film can, however, be quite moving in places as we see Ella attempting to keep her family together whilst her husband is seemingly tearing it apart. There are touching moments where we see the true George and the reason why Ella has stayed with and supported him. He is, in reality, a man of great faith and determination who's only downfall seems to be that sometimes he just doesn't understand.

Overall, this film is neither a straightforward comedy nor a serious social comment but a fusion of the two. It demonstrates the manner in which expectations have changed over generations and the strains the marry families go through. More than this though, the kitsch costumes and retro atmosphere really add to the film as a whole as 'East is East' shows what growing up in 1970's Manchester was really like.

Sophie Robinson