Namesake

A movie currently making its rounds in the theatres that is worth your time if you like plots that provide insights into cultures other than the dominant culture, then you will want to see Namesake. Namesake, is based on Jhumpa Lahiri's novel and directed by Mira Nair. I believe she is also the director that directed Mississippi Masala with Denzel Washington. That was another incredible foray into Indian culture. Namesake tells the story of a newly wed Bengali couple from Kolkata, India that come to the United States to make a life for themselves and their future children. America is the place where anyone can be anything says the father to his wife and son throughout the movie. The plot is strong and rich. The acting is excellent and the cinematography is exceptional. The plot takes the audience into the cultural landscape of the Bengalis. It depicts slices of life that reflect the values of extended family, strong national and cultural ties, and introduces the audience to rituals attached to birth, death and marriage. Namesake, according to one reviewer, "takes us from the quiet streets of New York to the picture-post card bustle of Kolkata, creating in the journey a passage into a world where hands reach out across colours and continents to caress the soul." This is a movie you owe to yourself to see.