The Namesake

"The Namesake" directed by Mira Nair, is an interesting and slow film, and it is relatable in a way because as American Desis, we all feel  at one point in our lives that our parents are too old-fashioned or superstitious. Gogol Ganguli, the main character, takes this very reason to avoid his parents completely after getting involved with an American white woman, Maxine. However, this only creates more pain after a tragedy strikes his family.

"The Namesake" has a dramatic pace to it, and most of what occurs is quite extreme, as the protagonist goes through a huge and frustrating transformation.  After his father dies, Gogol tries to abstain from his erratic western way of life by sticking strictly to Indian culture and living with his mother, but when he marries a Bengali woman who ends up cheating on him, he realizes that life is more than just following traditions... 

The sweetest character is probably Ashima Ganguli (played to perfection by Tabu), the mother of Gogol, whose kindness eventually makes her open-minded enough to accept her son's liberal views. She comes to accept her son's mediocre identity, and even asks him to make up with Maxine after noticing his loneliness. I can see my dad making the same compromises for me if I was really intent on getting a degree in art (which is never gonna happen cuz I SUCK at art or making things...). 

So okay... the movie is a relate-able to me, and I am sure it may be to anyone who's parents are immigrants.