Product Details

• Actors: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Satish Kaushik, Christopher Simpson, Naeema Begum, Lana Rahman
• Directors: Sarah Gavron
• Writers: Abi Morgan, Laura Jones, Monica Ali
• Producers: Alison Owen, Ameenah Ayub, Andy Stebbing, Chris Collins
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• DVD Release Date: January 13, 2009
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001JIL93O
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,528 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Brick Lane" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The dazzling Bollywood superstar Tannishtha Chatterjee shines in the British film Brick Lane, based on the best-selling novel by Monica Ali. The film is true to the delicately nuanced novel, which tells the story of a young Bangladeshi girl's being married off to a young man living in England--sight unseen. The heroine, Nazneen, as played by Chatterjee, is humble and obedient, and if mildly unhappy in her new life, she's loath to be vocal about it. In a voiceover, Nazneen, recalling her mother's death, says, "I remembered her saying, 'If Allah wanted us to ask questions, he would have made us men.'" And yet: Nazneen finds that the free-thinking society surrounding her penetrates the traditions she holds dear, and slowly realizes she's awakening to her own ideas, her own choices, her own sensuality, long tamped down by her loveless marriage. Chatterjee is utterly believable as Nazneen, a young lady of deep moral conviction who nevertheless is slowly, surely shaped by the forces in society. The film echoes strains from other recent, delicate British immigrant tales, most notably "Bhaji on the Beach" and "Bend It Like Beckham," with a stellar central character who dares to allow herself to open her soul, just a bit. --A.T. Hurley

Product Description

A young Bangladeshi woman, Nazneem, arrives in 1980s London, leaving behind her beloved sister and home, for an arranged marriage and a new life. Trapped within the four walls of her flat, and in a loveless marriage with the middle aged Chanu, she fears her soul is quietly dying. Her sister Hasina, meanwhile, continues to live a carefree life back in Bangladesh, stumbling from one adventure to the next. Nazneen struggles to accept her lifestyle, and keeps her head down in spite of life's blows, but she soon discovers that life cannot be avoided - and is forced to confront it the day that the hotheaded young Karim comes knocking at her door.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant tale of a woman's journey of self-discovery, January 22, 2009

By	z hayes (plano,texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

"Brick Lane" is based on Monica Ali's controversial novel of the same title, and tells the story of a Bangladeshi Muslim woman, Nazneen [Tannishta Chatterjee] who was married off at 17 by her father to a much older man living in London. Nazneen leaves behind her beloved sister, and there is also the haunting specter of her mother's suicide when she was a young girl. Nazneen's sister keeps up an active correspondence with her, indicating a life of adventure and excitement, in stark contrast to Nazneen's own repressed life - one of monotony and drudgery, of a loveless union with a self-absorbed man, and of caring for her two daughters. Nazneen's way of coping with her humdrum life is to quote her deceased mother: "Life is to be endured."

Things change when a new neighbor moves in next door - an independent Bangladeshi woman who takes in sewing to make ends meet and Nazneen soon finds herself doing the same [her loser of a husband quits his job and takes his time finding another one, deeming most jobs as beneath him]. It is this new-found 'independence' that puts Nazneen in the path of Karim [Christopher Simpson] a fiery-tempered, handsome young man who brings to life feelings Nazneen has long suppressed. The pair are mutually attracted and soon find themselves meeting in secret, stealing kisses, and finally indulging in an affair. But Karim doesn't merely spark lust in Nazneen, he is also the catalyst that arouses her awareness of racial and religious identity and when 9/11 occurs, Nazneen finds herself being swept up in a series of events that challenge her traditional beliefs and give her the strength to make the right choices - for herself and her children.

The lead actress did an amazing job as the lonely and unfulfilled Nazneen. Through her credible portrayal of a repressed woman stuck in a traditional, loveless marriage, we get a clear picture of the life led by some immigrant women. However, there is also something altogether predictable in the plot and the ending, when it comes, hardly holds many surprises.

On the whole, I'd recommend this movie to those seeking out human dramas, especially those that focus on women's emancipation and self-discovery.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cultural Transplantation: How to Create a Life, January 17, 2009

By	Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

BRICK LANE is one of the more satisfying films about our remaining cultural identity crises. Based on the novel by Monica Ali and adapted for the screen by Laura Jones, this film flows through the lives of young Bangladeshi sisters - one married off to a successful older obese fellow countryman living in London and the other remaining in the family village. The story is at once sensitively private in its communication between the separated sisters whose sole communication is by letters, each longing for the other sister's advantages, and also woven into a public examination of how 'immigrants' adapt in a foreign country, absorbing all the idiosyncrasies of that new land and the altered perception of the world outside as it changes in dramatic ways.

Nazeem (the radiantly beautiful Tannishtha Chatterjee) is married by arrangement to the fat successful Chanu (Satish Kaushik): the two take up residence on the Brick Lane known as London's Little Bangladesh. Nazeem is a quiet and dutiful wife (longing for her sister and her village home), bears Chanu a son (who dies a crib death) and two daughters who comfortably are absorbed into the country of England, the only home they know. The aging Chanu is intelligent but fails to hold jobs, partly because of this outspoken behavior and in part due to prejudice of his employers. Nazeem longs to return to Bangladesh, but when she is required to take in sewing to aid the falling family coffers, she meets the young and handsome Karim (Christopher Simpson). The two fall in love and Nazeem struggles with her duties and moral obligations as a wife and mother and her surfacing realization of her own identity. The Twin Tower tragedy of 9/11 occurs and the people of London turn against the Muslims: Karim is an activist and defends the rights of his fellow Bangladeshi brothers, hoping to encourage Nazeem to join him and remain in London. Nazeem struggles between passion and duty and ultimately finds her own path - becoming a complete woman individual of mature mind. And the results of her growth spell out the ending of the film.

The cast is large and very fine, and the photography by Robbie Ryan captures both the childhood remembered magic of Bangladesh and the raw realism of life in London. The musical score by Jocelyn Pook enhances the changing moods of this touching and significant movie. Director Sarah Gavron has found the perfect balance to tell this story of love, family obligations, and the changes of the world events. It is a film well worth seeing multiple times. Grady Harp, January 09

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of 2008's Best!, April 1, 2009

By	Bleu Diamond-Phillips "Bleu" (USA) - See all my reviews

This is a film about life, about family, and about love. If you enjoy films like this, then you will absolutely love "Brick Lane". I have no idea why the rest of the world didn't fall in love with it, but trust me when I say that it is definitely worth adding to your home collection.