EAST IS EAST
EAST IS EAST
A colourful, amusing, yet bittersweet portrait of a family, reflecting the challenges of multicultural Britain in the 1970s. Proud of his Pakistani heritage, George sees himself as the family patriarch, but his Irish wife Ella and their seven assimilated children make that easier said than done.
He is determined to hold on to tradition and sees the streets of Manchester as a threat to the cultural identity he strives to preserve, both for himself and his family. Warm and perceptive, Ella understands that the world is changing. Their children, from the youngest to those already grown up, simply want to live their own – British – lives. When the two eldest brothers discover that their father has chosen respectable Pakistani wives for them behind their backs, they rebel against him, fighting for the right to determine their own futures.
EAST IS EAST is a comedy that does not shy away from genuine drama. The filmmakers do not downplay George and Ella’s dilemmas, the desperation of his sons, or the consequences of the clash between cultures and traditions. Although set in the 1970s, it perfectly captures the spirit of the era in which it was made. In the 1990s, bhangra – a fusion of traditional Punjabi music with electronic dance beats– ruled British clubs.
The aesthetic associated with Indian and Pakistani culture became fashionable, and EAST IS EAST fits perfectly into this trend. It also contributed to the Cool Britannia phenomenon: raw realism was infused with colour and became part of the pop culture of which the British were so proud at the end of the 20th century.
Text: dr Karolina Kosińska
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