Brick Lane tells the tale of Nazneen, a young Bangladeshi girl who must leave her beloved family and home for a new life in London and an arranged marriage to an older man.
Although the book follows to life of Nazneen, the film focuses on one particularly fateful year in our heroine’s existence. Picking up the story in 2001, we discover Nazneen, an unhappy mother of two, whose life takes a turn for the dramatic when she meets and falls in love with Karim, a handsome and passionate east end local, who forces her to reassess the world and her place in it.
Although the film is primarily a story about love and cultural differences, some of the Bangladeshi Muslim community in the UK, particularly around Brick Lane where the film is centred, were worried about how their community was being portrayed. Local protests were mounted and eventually the cast and crew were forced to film further afield.
Despite the protests and media frenzy surrounding the film, director Sarah Gavron has always maintained that Brick Lane was worth the effort. Speaking at the film’s premiere last month, Sarah said, “Brick Lane is very much a woman's story and I felt enormously connected to it.”
Brick Lane is Sarah Gavron’s eagerly anticipated debut feature film. Having begun her career in documentaries, Sarah directed her first full-length drama for TV in 2003. This Little Life won many awards and also made sure that she was selected as one of Variety’s 10 directors to watch at the Sundance International Film Festival. Keep your eye out for more exciting Film4 projects involving Sarah, over the next few months. Brick Lane opens in cinemas across the country on 16 November.
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