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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 2000)
Dysfunction, innuendoes fuel 'East is East’ By Karen Brown staff writer. You don’t have to look far if you want to see a lot of urina tion in a film. “East is East” has urination. But is also has so much more. Sexual innuendoes and cir cumcisions abound along with the urination, but “East is East” has a great balance of quirky life mishaps and smooth drama. But it isn’t so melodramatic that you want someone to gag you with a spoqn. “East is East” is the feature film debut of Irishman Damien O’Donnell, who adapted it from the play by Ayub Khan-Din. The film is set in Salford, north England, in 1971. It circles around a family whose children are tom between two cultures - the English culture they are sur rounded by (and love) and the Pakistani Muslim culture their father tries to impose on them. George Khan (Om Puri) and his English wife of 25 years, Ella (Linda Bassett) live with their seven children. All is peaceful until George arranges a marriage for his eldest son, Nazir. The strong family struc ture spirals downhill after Nazir runs out the door on his wed ding day, leaving his father with no choice but to consider him “dead.” Ole George didn’t learn his lesson after he lost one son; per haps his children don’t want to be as traditional as he is. Some would say the kids go a little crazy with their rebellion when they seem to do everything opposite of what their father instructs. But they are just doing the things they see in their homeland, which is not the envi ronment in which their father grew up. Of course, none of the chil dren want to act or speak out in front of him. They eat pork behind his back, dress like hip pies, and sneak out at night to clubs. One son, Tariq, calls him self Tony when he goes out looking for the ladies. Even the mother calls her “dead” son from a phone booth one rainy night, behind George’s back. Don’t get me wrong, the father is full of love (and charm ing with his Pakistani accent, accompanied by British lingo that Puri pulls off magnificent ly). He just confuses his own pride (and struggles to gain it) with doing the right thing and listening to his children. Besides, George has a few skeletons in his closet. After he arranges weddings for his next two sons, his strong marriage with Ella starts to deteriorate. It’s evident that their 25 years together have been solid. But George starts hitting her during the second half of the film. Seeing this strong woman retreat into a shell is confusing for the view er. The beatings begin when Ella sticks up for her children when they misbehave (eat sausage and keep shaggy hair). But when the children question their father’s brutality, Ella is quick to say, “Don’t call him a bastard. He’s your father.” It’s as if the wedding agree ment they made long ago allowed her to keep no English values except watching televi sion. George, however can enforce anything he wants, whenever he wants. Well, I don’t think it’s that dysfunctional of a family; they just hit each other instead of sit ting down at the dinner table and talking things over. Throughout these struggles, the youngest son has problems of his own. He is in early ado lescence, and O’Donnell’s cam era work is sympathetic to him. O’Donnell only uses a point-of view shot once, and it’s through the eyes of young Sajid (Jordan Routledge). Sajid wears a winter parka with a fuzzy hood for the entire film. Through his fuzzy-hooded eyes, we find humor and sym pathy for a boy who has been circumcised recently. The hood Sajid wears acts as his stable protector and shield from the inexorable wrath that his brothers and sisters cast upon his feeble frame. When one of his brothers rips off his hood in a family feud, Sajid hides in a shed. After a spell, Sajid re-enters the world fresh and healed from both physical and mental anguish. If anything, this film offers an eclectic mixture of seven children under the rule of two strong-willed parents. Don’t forget to watch for the urination scenes. Grade: 3 New Shaft pales to original SHAFT from page 8 the car chase scene at the end of the movie. The director, John Singleton, had such ambition when he used rapid cuts to accen tuate the already “horrible nature” of a car flipping over three other cars. Singleton really captured fear on those thugs faces with his abundant close-ups. I just wonder how the thugs never saw the cam eras in their faces. Oh wait! It’s only a movie. Watch closely in this movie for a famous rapper (Busta Rhymes) playing Shaft’s friend and helping out the NYPD. Can we say, “Been there, done that?” What is it with rappers trying to revamp their image onscreen by playing the most evil entity known to man? First it was Ton Loc, then Ice-T and then LL Cool J. Did I miss a formula some where in grade school that means rappers have to portray cops in movies? I totally think one line can sum up the intensity this movie possesses and my feelings about it as well. While a cop is waiting for a stakeout he says, M1 could be at home trading stocks on the Internet” Yes, I could too, but I don’t have a computer. Dam! Grade: 1-2 Would You Accept $20 to Save Kids'Lives? Sick children all over the worltl hope you will. Yuur plasma contains vit.il substances needed to make medicines that save kids' lives. Donating plasma i» safe, easy, and a good way to earn extra cash. You'll make about $20 |K-r visit, and you can donate twice a week. So start donating today. Kids' lives de|>cnd on it. Plasma Savas. Plasma Pays. Donate Today 1 .sOO S. 17th Si. I .incoin, NK «>X3U# 402-474-2333