Film Review: Blinded by the Light
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
By Belle McIntyre
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (2019) DIR. GURINDER CHADHA
This is not the sort of movie I would ordinarily have seen but for the interview with director, Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) and Sarfraz Manzoor, author of the source material, a 2007 memoir Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock’n Roll. The serendipitous encounter with Bruce Springsteen, the immediate embrace and its clear impact, just gave it a feeling of inevitability which I found too irresistible to ignore. It is an uplifting story about a high school teenager who navigates some tricky territories guided by the words and music of Bruce Springsteen, a musician of cult status among people of all ages for decades.
Set in the working class suburban town of Luton, outside of London in the Margaret Thatcher 80’s, Javed Khan (Viveik Kalra) is a Pakistani Muslim who routinely endures racial slurs and insults at his high school. He is a quiet kid and something of a dreamer who spends hours of his free time writing reams of poetry and songs for his friend’s band. His conservative home life consists of two sisters, a kind mother and a strict and domineering father, Malik. His father demonstrates his relentless disapproval of his son’s passion for writing by making repeated criticisms like, “writing is for rich people.” All of this is tough on Javed and things get even more uncomfortable when Malik looses his middle management job.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Salvation for Javed comes from two sources. One is Miss Clay, an English teacher who sees talent in Javed’s writing and encourages him. The other is his Sikh friend, Roops (Aaron Phagura) who gives him his first taste of Bruce Springsteen. When he is at an all-time low and first hears the Springsteen tapes, he is an instant convert. Bruce is talking to him in words that lift him up, give him hope and a new positive attitude. He stops being a victim and even gets a girlfriend, Eliza (Nell Williams), a liberal political activist. He’s got a Bruce soundtrack running in his consciousness and that guides the film. He becomes inspired and stands up to the racist bullies as well as his dad.
When Javed gets a job as a journalist and respect as a serious writer, he has to keep it from Malik. All until he wins an award for his writing which includes a trip to Asbury Park, Mecca for Bruce fans. With a little intervention from his friends he even manages to win over his hidebound dad, to acknowledge Javed for the writer he has become and allows for a rapprochement between them as he graduates from high school.
The film moves along at a jaunty clip getting its pace from the Springsteen soundtrack. The characters are appealing, especially Viveik Kalra and Nell Williams, who work well together as an ensemble. It is not hard to believe that the dreariness of Luton could be relieved by a little dose of “the Boss”. The film has lots of heart and that is what we need these days.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
