Cultural And Generational Conflicts example essay topic
351 words
East is East, a directorial debut from Damien O'Donnell, is a comedy of cultural collision. Situated in Manchester during the early 1970's, the film is a bittersweet portrayal of a mixed-race family attempting to overcome both cultural and generational conflicts. Om Puri (a respected Indian actor last seen as the father in "My Son the Fanatic") is George khan, a Pakistani immigrant, who is unable to reconcile his internal conflicts. He is torn between the customs of his native land and the modernized West; between the idea of a father being a dominant figure on one hand and a modern British father on the other. His seven children and English wife Ella (Linda Bassett) rebel against his vision of a traditional family. Moreover, all of the children consider consider themselves English, not "Paki", and George is losing their respect, along with Ella's. Frustrated by his lack of power, he becomes physically abusive to them and to his wife. Still, when he strikes them, he appears rather pathetic, not so much a monster.
O'Donnell achieves that by balancing the dark scenes with plenty of humor. The cast (mostly young people) is largely unknown, except for Puri and Bassett who give superb performance of warmth and passion. They enlighten the scenes with energy and fun by appearing so natural and relaxed. Puri gives his complex character the depth needed and does an outstanding job at portraying a tyrant on one hans and a sensitive, confused man on the other.
The film deals with some very serious issues but manages to wrap up important life lessons into a package of explicit humor, although, being so eager to entertain, it seems to cross the thin line between satire and outrageous, even ridiculous humor at some points. East is East won the British Academy Award for best British film in 1999, which is merely one of many reasons to see it. Warm performances, fun instances and the exploration of culture-collision issues will keep you in the grip throughout the whole 96 minutes.
