Brick Lane [DVD]

• Brick Lane
• Brick Lane

Brick Lane, adapted from Monica Ali’s much-lauded novel, is the compelling and thought-provoking story of a Bangladeshi woman, Nazneen Ahmed, who is forced into an arranged marriage as a teenager. Separated from her beloved sister and sent to live with her husband in a run-down housing estate in east London, Nazneen’s carefree childhood seems far away. She has two children with her obese fantasist of a husband and the daily grind of housekeeping becomes increasingly difficult to tolerate when the family are harassed by an elderly money-lender. The demure Nazneen sees the potential for some independence in making jeans for dashing market stallholder, Karim. Gradually the two become embroiled in each other’s affections and Nazneen has to decide where the best balance between duty and happiness lies. The novel, short-listed for the Man Booker Prize, makes an effortless transition to the screen in this well-handled adaptation from director Sarah Gavron. Tannishtha Chatterjee (Nazneen) offers a confident and articulate performance and other leads are skilled in expressing the characters’ multi-faceted layers. --Vivienne Arkley