Filmanalyse af 'East is East'

“Religion” is defined by the relationship to higher powers. Often a religion includes certain rules that you have to follow to be a part of the religion. Some religions have very strict rules and some haven’t. This is exactly what the film “East is East” is about.

The film is a British comedy-drama and we follow the life of a family that lives in Salford, Britain. The father, George, is Pakistani and the mother of the family, Ella, is British. The parent’s two different religions are a huge problem in the family. George wants and even expects his family to follow the strict rules that his religion involves, but the children – who were born and also grew up in Britain – reject the way their father wants them to dress, eat and live in general. They just want to be themselves and that leads to a lot of problems and conflicts. Therefore the crux of the film is the problem concerning a child growing up in a culture that is different from its parent’s religion.

An important thing to mention about the film is the great acting by every cast member, which makes them seem very convincing. Right from the beginning you get the impression that they are a real family. George is no monster, only a stubborn father, and Ella seems to agree with him about some issues despite the fact that she really loves her children. As the film goes on and George starts to be more wrath and even violent Ella begins to see the tribe from another perspective. She is torn between her love for George and her desire to protect and encourage their children. At the same time George starts to be divided because he – of course – loves his children too but also cares a lot about his reputation. To achieve respect from the Pakistani people in Salford he wants to make sure his children follow the rules within his religion, Islam. At the end of the film George realizes that he can’t do anything to get his children to act the way he wants them to.