inglourious basterd
04-09-2002, 12:58 AM
Starring: Aalok Mehta, Paresh Rawal, Josh Ackerman
Directed and written by Anurag Mehta
Winner of the 2001 Slamdance International Film Festival Audience Award
Plot: This is a story about a first-generation Indian-American who is forced to go through many culture-related obstacles in order to follow his dreams of becoming a musician and falling in love.
Prelogue: Given the fact that I am a Sinhala-Filipino-American (the term "Sinhala" simply means that my ethnicity belongs to the country of Sri Lanka, an island in South Asia), this film almost instantaneously caught my attention with its intriguing premise. That being said, this was one of those few movies that struck so many familiar chords that I could almost swear that they were playing the song of my life.
Now, anyone that is reading this review is probably thinking "What the hell does that have to do with me"? The answer is that I wanted to let the my really, really small group of readers know where I was coming from. This was a movie with such a low budget, that, outside of this review, it would probably be impossible to hear about. It is for that very reason that I love to write about my experiences about movies. Now, on to the review.
Review: All I can say about this movie is "Wow". When an entire review can be condensed into a single word, you know that it was definitely something special. The core of the film was a rather predictable romantic comedy that had to do with breaking cultural barriers. Based on the trailer (which many of you will never see), that was expected. What was unexpected is that along with the romantic comedy there were a variety of complex themes that were sprinkled throughout.
Some of these sugary confections included insightful social commentaries, a deep look into the differences in cultures, and the internal conflicts that takes place daily in the lives of the Indian-American. To a non-South-Asian, much of the content may tread unfamiliar territory. There exists many homages to South-Asian Culture and Art. Fortunately, even though all of these references may not be understood, there is still much physical comedy to keep most viewers content. Also, the ability to understand those references have no bearing on the comprehension of the insightful themes that were scattered throughout the film. I give much credit to writer/director Anurag Mehta for making a very, well put together script. It is not often that a film leaves me absolutely breathless at its conclusion.
Unfortunately, this film is not without its flaws. Because of its low budget, the quality of acting and direction was not really impressive. In fact, it was pretty bad. Some of the actors, particularly Aalok Mehta (who was the lead of the film) seemed to have a difficulty keeping a straight face throughout the film. However, the film's incredible script and its pretty well-written soundtrack almost make up for these problems.
The movie makes you laugh, it makes you think, it makes you cry, and it makes you appreciate life. I cannot ask for anything more. Well...I could. I wish that this movie could have had a bigger budget. But since it didn't, I hope that some of you will be able to enjoy this well-written film. If you like to broaden your horizons without having to leave the country, the movies are a great medium for that. See this movie when you can. http://www.joblo.com/ubb/smile.gif
[This review was written for my personal web page. This and others can be seen at kenc.cjb.net.]
[This message has been edited by psudoazn (edited 04-09-2002).]
Directed and written by Anurag Mehta
Winner of the 2001 Slamdance International Film Festival Audience Award
Plot: This is a story about a first-generation Indian-American who is forced to go through many culture-related obstacles in order to follow his dreams of becoming a musician and falling in love.
Prelogue: Given the fact that I am a Sinhala-Filipino-American (the term "Sinhala" simply means that my ethnicity belongs to the country of Sri Lanka, an island in South Asia), this film almost instantaneously caught my attention with its intriguing premise. That being said, this was one of those few movies that struck so many familiar chords that I could almost swear that they were playing the song of my life.
Now, anyone that is reading this review is probably thinking "What the hell does that have to do with me"? The answer is that I wanted to let the my really, really small group of readers know where I was coming from. This was a movie with such a low budget, that, outside of this review, it would probably be impossible to hear about. It is for that very reason that I love to write about my experiences about movies. Now, on to the review.
Review: All I can say about this movie is "Wow". When an entire review can be condensed into a single word, you know that it was definitely something special. The core of the film was a rather predictable romantic comedy that had to do with breaking cultural barriers. Based on the trailer (which many of you will never see), that was expected. What was unexpected is that along with the romantic comedy there were a variety of complex themes that were sprinkled throughout.
Some of these sugary confections included insightful social commentaries, a deep look into the differences in cultures, and the internal conflicts that takes place daily in the lives of the Indian-American. To a non-South-Asian, much of the content may tread unfamiliar territory. There exists many homages to South-Asian Culture and Art. Fortunately, even though all of these references may not be understood, there is still much physical comedy to keep most viewers content. Also, the ability to understand those references have no bearing on the comprehension of the insightful themes that were scattered throughout the film. I give much credit to writer/director Anurag Mehta for making a very, well put together script. It is not often that a film leaves me absolutely breathless at its conclusion.
Unfortunately, this film is not without its flaws. Because of its low budget, the quality of acting and direction was not really impressive. In fact, it was pretty bad. Some of the actors, particularly Aalok Mehta (who was the lead of the film) seemed to have a difficulty keeping a straight face throughout the film. However, the film's incredible script and its pretty well-written soundtrack almost make up for these problems.
The movie makes you laugh, it makes you think, it makes you cry, and it makes you appreciate life. I cannot ask for anything more. Well...I could. I wish that this movie could have had a bigger budget. But since it didn't, I hope that some of you will be able to enjoy this well-written film. If you like to broaden your horizons without having to leave the country, the movies are a great medium for that. See this movie when you can. http://www.joblo.com/ubb/smile.gif
[This review was written for my personal web page. This and others can be seen at kenc.cjb.net.]
[This message has been edited by psudoazn (edited 04-09-2002).]