East is East (1999) Critique - Term Paper Example

? East is East 1999 Film East is East (1999) is a drama film produced by Damien O’Donnel in Great Britain. The film explores intercultural learning of the Pakistani family in Salford, in which social environment dominates the second and third generations of immigrants, searching for a cultural and personal identity. The opening scene captures the dynamics of how families work. In the scene, a catholic parade makes its way through the streets joined by Khan children who proudly carry banners of crucifixes. Their mother warns them to continue with the journey convincing them that their father has returned from the mosque and is observing the parade. In this case, Ella whisks down the back street unexpectedly before joining her husband with a smile to cover up what her children had done. This ends with children having fun once more in front of the parade. This memorable opening represents the degree of humor throughout the film. It captures audiences’ attention on the differences of culture and religion that occur in different communities. Throughout the film, one can evaluate the culture clash that occurs in the half-British and half-Pakistani family living in the early 1970s. Through its representation of the typical family, the film emphasizes on the modern setup of multi-ethnic and multicultural British society. In this way, it highlights issues of cultural difference, hybridism, and diversity while raising questions of belonging, identity, and aspect of westernization (Berkoff & East Productions Firm, 2000). Given this aspect, the aim of this paper is to interpret the film East is East that explores on the paradoxical aspect of identities swaying between two cultures. For this purpose, the paper will look at the diverse discourses of identity and its construction. It will also highlight the extent to which characters have been used as a powerful weapon in the assertion and construction of identity. The film is set in Salford in a crowded terraced house portraying poverty in 70s (Bhabha, 1994). The film follows a story of the Khan family; George Khan who is a strict Muslim from Pakistan married to Ella, a working class Catholic. Both have seven children and operate a chip and fish shop. Khan desires to raise his mixed-race children in Muslim faith. This results in cultural and identity conflicts because of the clash between their father’s expectations and their own desires. Eventually, this leads to children rebelling against their father who insists on nothing less than the traditional way of upbringing among his children. Khan wants his children to stick to Muslim traditions of his country, while the children prefer to be British, as inspired by their mother. The opening scene demonstrates the family’s main problem, where six sons and one daughter actively participate in catholic procession. One of the Khan’s sons carries the virgin effigy while Sajid, the youngest son, strews rose petals within the street. They all enjoy catholic religious celebration and greatly wish to comply with its culture and identity. The next scene outlines children running in streets as they hide from George who returned from the mosque earlier than expected. Following these scenes, it appears that there are controversies in the children identities attributed by different situations such as the chips shop, the mosque, cross-cultural parents, and religion. Apparently, children find the Mosque boring and they often hide to avoid attending Urdu lessons. Once a month, the family moves to their Pakistani relatives within Bradistan where they watch Hollywood film and east curry food. In this case, the children feel as outsiders of the Pakistani community whereby several scenes show them rebelling against Muslim faith. For instance, Tariq’s passion to attend nightclubs is highlighted, where he goes out with Stella, an English girl, and drinks alcohol despite being prohibited to do so by Muslim faith. Another scene displays children eating sausages and bacon at home when their father is not there, and this underlines their rebellion against Pakistani culture. These scenes exemplify the children struggle to strike the balance between the opposing activities and expectations, and spending nights at clubs and attending religious lessons. Therefore, this film discusses the children’s main problem of sliding between two cultures, which attributes to rebellion. To demonstrate this, Khan’s children use various tactics to explore their identity sliding cultures from their father and mother. For instance, Nazir, the eldest son of Khan, rejects to abide to Pakistani tradition of arranged marriages. He refuses to marry the girl of his father’s choice, and worse still, walks out during the wedding ceremony. Thereafter, he starts a new life with Eccles and later turns out to be a gay partner. Manner is the only child who respects his father’s authority and abides to Muslim tradition beliefs such as reading the Koran and praying five times a day. Of all Khans’ sons, Tariq is the most rebellious one who changes his name to Tony to get into disco clubs that exclude Pakistanis. Additionally, Saleem disobeys his father demands in a less serious manner in that, although he is supposed to study engineering, he attends art school. Abdul respect his father’s demands just to keep the peace and avoid violent outburst. Finally, the film characterizes Meenah as the tomboy who prefers playing football to being a traditional Pakistani woman. Through characterization of children, the film underlines constant rejection of the Pakistani culture and identity. Throughout the film, children are unwilling to settle to Muslim traditions, which in turn produce family tension and domestic violence. In this context, one can affirm that religion is one thing that has torn Khan’s family apart. When it comes to social subjects and issues of the religious nature, various perceptions and doctrines create controversies on children beliefs and that of religion. The film has a strong comic element that fails to detract the seriousness of the issue in the film. In exploring the issue of comedy in the movie, Goffman (1963) analyses the aim of the jokes and nature of pleasure obtained from this film. His study affirm that jokes derived from the East is East are hostile in that they serve the purpose of defense, satire, and aggressiveness. In this way, Helms (1990) argues that the film is a source of laughter where each character reveals his humor nature differently. According to the Jenkins (1996), the film is highlighting some aspect of aggression towards the social group. Most humor in the film is at George’s expense because of his oppressive characterization. For instance, the physical appearance of the Pakistani brides sought by George for Abdul and Tariq, invites laughter to most audiences. This humor represents negative stereotypes about Pakistanis in question of background and culture. Most humor reinforces negative stereotypes of the Pakistanis within Britain. In this context, the film operates on the stereotypes and assumptions of Muslim religion values, as well as Eastern cultures. The problem revolves around the differences of the two cultures: Pakistani and British; most children prefer the later to the former. The main issue faced by children is the problem of representing an entire ethnic minority community linked to potential danger of revealing negative images of racist views of white British audiences. Identities and traditions seem to negotiate that makes children passage over rebellion. There is the deepest concern of Khan children rebelling against Muslim traditions but joyfully join the church procession in celebrating Jesus crucification. The first conflict emerges in the film when Khan forces his son Nazir into an arranged marriage. Nazir rebels against his father demands, which thereafter attributes to his father facing public humiliation when his son runs out of the marriage ceremony. Unfortunately, Nazir ends up being gay, a habit prohibited in Muslim religion. With this regard, one can outline paradoxical aspect of identities swaying between two cultures: Pakistani and British. As mentioned, various scenes explore the children boredom in Muslim traditions such as attending services, reading Koran, as well as arranged marriages. In turn, these differences create domestic violence between the children and the father (Saha, 2007). In the film, there is evidence that despite the children being Pakistanis, they do not identify themselves as those. They live a life that contradicts the Pakistani faith. They talk mockingly about Pakis; for instance, when Saleem, Tariq, and Meenah discover their father’s intention for Tariq and Abdul’s arranged wedding, they exclaim scornfully that they will not marry a “fucking” Paki. Likewise, when Bradford’s visitors came to the Khan’s house, Sajid cries out to see Pakis. These scenes point how powerful language is in the aspect of identity. Evidently, Khan’s children use the language to challenge the identity augmented by their community and father. Following this, their English identity makes them reject every aspect of Pakistani culture. The children reassertion against their father, a traditional Pakistani, brings in the perception of westernization in the film. To expound on this, Mendez (2009) argues that after the Second World War, there were significantly large migrations from ex-colonies that increased the assortment of Britain. In the movie, Bradford and Salford give an instance of multicultural cities, which resulted to migrations in the 60’s. Studies show that migration plays a significant role in reshaping politics and societies (Hill & Gibson, 1998). In the 60’s and 70’s, white norms of the Britain assimilated and hegemonic dominated to think about migrating to Britain. In other words, they had to adapt to British culture and become British. Given the transformation to Britain, which occurred in the second half of the 20th century, there is a need to redefine the existing norms of westernization. This aspect is redefined by new identities as the ones revealed in the film of children’s cross identities. The concept of what it entails to be English is constantly outlined by George and his children. In the film, George is against alienation in his family, which reinforces his difference in attitude. George emphasizes this disparity throughout the narrative stressing the need of Pakistani religion and cultural practices, and imposing this identity to his children. He is unable to recognize that his children are mixed-race, and fails to comprehend their understanding. He authoritatively creates a path that his children should follow, and fails to understand his children’s needs. For example, Tariq tells him that he does not support arranged marriages and all his family is oppressed by his idea. He fails to listen to this need, instead, he replies that he did not bring up his children not to respect. He goes ahead to say that Pakistanis always value respect. Then, Tariq asserts his own identity when he insists that he does not know Pakistani and neither was he born there. Finally, George tells Tariq that he is not English since they fail to accept him. He goes ahead to support his traditions whereby he affirms that in Islam, all men are equal, which reveals its ideal of special community. To this point, it stands out that Tariq’s argument summarizes the concept that identity derived from ones’ background, school, and friends that explore the aspect of constant becoming. Tariq affirms that he and his siblings were born in England, enhancing sense of belonging to the English society. This brings controversies in that George wants to bring up his children within Muslim community and Pakistani tradition. George views his own identity as original and fixed. Although his wife is an English woman, he does not allow his sons to marry English women because they drink alcohol and go out with men. Following this, there are contradictions of George’s wishes for his son and how practical his life is. He opted to marry a British woman who differed with his faith and, thus, went beyond bounds of traditions that he is imposing on his children now. With this in mind, George is a dubious character anchored in his tradition but to some point devoid of touch with Pakistani culture. For example, he is proud of his chip and fish shop that Ella runs and admits half cup of tea made by his wife, which means that he partially recognizes English culture. Typically, George contradicts his faith from what he believes and what he practices. For example, he identifies himself with Muslim community through raising his children in Muslim construction. However, his own community sets George apart by being married to an English Catholic and his children not willing to conform to his expectations. In his book, Freud (1959) examines the concept of community with collective identity as the symbolic constructions. This study reveals the symbol of a shared belonging considering cultural and religious rituals as the symbol for the community. The study continues to highlight a powerful notion, which people organize their lives and comprehend the localities and settlements they reside. With this regard, the film reveals arranged weddings and circumcision operations as examples of rituals of the Muslim culture. Despite all efforts George makes to assimilate his children into Muslim community, they act and behave as aliens of the community. Therefore, this film reveals George’s failed efforts to integrate his family into a Muslim community. As a result, tension exists between the community and George’s children. Muslim community negotiates the difference of the mixed race and culture outlined by George’s children. Throughout the film, the children undergo the imposition of their father’s beliefs and cultures; they negotiate the bi-cultural existence. In the final scene, George realizes that his children are of mixed race, thus, not willing to accept his oppressive parental control and authority. He accepts that his children are unique beings that need to air their voice on different subjects on discussion. To sum up, Rutherforde (1990) argues that East is East is a film that represents the British Asian family that augmented conflicts between Pakistani values and mixed race identities. The paradoxical nature of adaptation and amalgamation of the Pakistani community within England and in the Pakistani families reviewed in the film. From this concept, it stands out that identity is something of a changing, complex nature. The film identifies the changing element of George’s children and to some extent, the fixed and stable case of George. With this sense, Tajfel (1982) outlines both stances being fair when revealed in two cultures. It contrasts between dramatic and comic scenes, and highlights identity slipping away between the two cultures (Jhally & Media Education Foundation, 2009). It appears that the film criticizes George’s identity as something unchanging and immune. In this regard, the dramatization of the exaggerated authority in his family is the underlying comic issue that sparks his British born children. Therefore, it is through the character of George that one can outline the struggles of construction of sense of identity in the context of two different cultures. The film emphasizes on the hybrid identity that negotiates between different communal, national, and individual identifications. Conclusion East is East is a film that illustrates issues that emerge from cultural differences. In great insights, the film explore on two cultures -- Pakistani and British ones. As indicated, the two cultures differ in their perception of different subjects in life. George Khan’s family is a good illustration of various challenges faced by children from mixed races. Indeed, Khan desires his children to conform to Muslim doctrine that respects all human beings despite their differences. Khan denies his children to marry the whites affirming that they do not have personal dignity (McMahon, 1996). Conflicts emerge as children rebel to follow and conform to Muslim traditions and beliefs. Various scenes identify a culture clash between British and Pakistani cultures as children desire to follow the former that contradicts to their father’s wish to conform to the latter. Most of Khan children identify themselves with British culture and disregard Pakistani culture. This follows that there are diverse discourses of culture identity and its construction, which George used as the powerful weapon in the assertion, and construction of identity. Therefore, this paper has interpreted the film, East is East, through exploring the paradoxical aspect of identities swaying between two cultures. References Berkoff, S. & East Productions (Firm). (2000). East. London: East Productions Ltd. Bhabha, H. K. (1994). The location of culture. London: Routledge. Castells, M. (1997). 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London: Lawrence and Wishart Publisher. Saha, A. (2007). Ethnic identity and religion in the India-Bangladesh borderlands. Lewiston, N.Y: Edwin Mellen Press. Tajfel, H. (1982). Social identity and intergroup relations. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press. Read More