Rebecca Smith AS Film Studies: January 2012

How far do the narratives of the films you have studied for this topic explore questions of belonging and exclusion?

The themes of belonging and exclusion feature prominently in both the films I have studied, East is East (Damien O’Donnell, 1999) and My Beautiful Launderette (Stephen Frears, 1985). These themes are explored through a variety of topics, the most dominant being race, culture and sexuality. East is East is the story of the Khan family living in Salford in 1971. This comedy drama follows the lives of dominant traditionalist Pakistani father George (Om Puri), his white British wife Ella (Linda Bassett) with whom he runs a chip shop, and their seven mixed race children. My Beautiful Launderette is also a comedy drama, focusing on Omar (Gordon Warnecke), a young Pakistani living in London during the 1980’s, tackling the political context of the time, the Thatcher years. It follows the story of his relationship with British punk Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis)

In East is East the clash of cultures is depicted in the first scene, as the Khan family are shown partaking in a Catholic Church parade. They appear happy and carefree, though it is evident that this is against their father’s wishes when e comes home early and they must hide in an alley to avoid him seeing them. This indicates that even within the family the senses of belonging are fragmented, the father, George, feels strongly attached to his traditional Pakistani roots, whilst the children and mother are more in touch with their British heritage. The audience are first shown the Khan family from a distance, using a long shot to emphasise the fact they are just one part of an overall procession, and thus representing them being one part of the western culture. They are going behind their fathers back by participating, both metaphorical and physically when they run down the alley behind him. This is representative of the dichotomy of their identities, and shows a sense of belonging to the British community though their father disapproves.

At some points in the film it appears that the children face very little, if any exclusion from western culture from the British themselves, especially in the younger generation. Tariq for example sneaks out at night, smoking drinking and dancing at clubs, to the extent that he is a well known figure in the club circuit. He is on first name terms with the bouncer and has a white girlfriend, and is even known as the local ‘player’, showing just how built into the British community he is. His girlfriend even says to him ‘I’ll never let the colour of your dad come between us’, implying that she actually sees him as white British.

However, it can be argued that the family are actually most excluded from their Pakistani culture; they are somewhat unaccepted as they are. For example, Georges determination to put up a good impression on the Shah family and his desperate need to be accepted, though almost everything about them is criticised. This is evident when he makes Meenah change into a traditional Pakistani sari to wear when the other family visit, however even then Mr and Mrs Shah makes a negative comment about the sari saying it is not ‘traditional dress in Pakistan’. This enlightens the audience as to the facts that even though George believes himself to be a traditional Pakistani with deep roots even he is out of touch and distance from the culture by living in the UK. It also reflects the instability of the family structure, as George disagrees with his own family in order to maintain an honourable image.

The theme is exclusion is also explored through sexuality. The opening scene shows Nazir running out on his wedding, which is an arranged marriage. He then leaves, due to his father disowning him and he fears he will be excluded by the Pakistani culture for being homosexual. However, later we see he has moved in with his boyfriend and is happily running a hat shop with him. It seems that he has found a place of belonging here, despite his past exclusion.

My Beautiful Launderette also explores the theme of exclusion through sexuality. Due to the society and the social norms of the time, homosexuality was not widely accepted, thus Omar feels unable to tell his family he is gay. This is due to the exclusion and marginalisation he could face if he did come out as being homosexual. His family often make comments about his sexuality, such as when Salim explains how to wash a car saying ‘You do know how to rub, don’t you?’ These imply they are oblivious to his sexuality and simply assume he is straight. However, it appears that by being with Johnny Omar does find a sense of belonging, for example in the end scene where they are shown playfully splashing each other with water.

The theme of isolation is illustrated in the opening scene of the film, where we see Johnny thrown violently out of the flat in which he is squatting. This can be interpreted as a physical representation of the exclusion that features throughout the film. His eviction could represent his vulnerability to exclusion, not only for being in poverty but also for his sexuality.

The following scene contrasts in that it shows the theme of belonging, though perhaps not in a positive light. Omar is shown doing housework and fulfilling his mothers place in the home, he is needed here to help his alcoholic father and take over his mother’s responsibility. This is represented not only by him doing typical household chores but also, through a close up of a photograph of his mother; the camera lingers here momentarily before Omar steps into the frame and cover the photo. Though he appears he feels obligated to belong here to care for his family, he actually feels bordered and suffocated by his current lifestyle.

Rebecca Smith AS Film Studies

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