On the face of it, Damien O’Donnell’s first feature East Is East is not the kind of movie one would necessarily rush out to see. A half-Pakistani working-class family in Manchester in 1971, just about the time right-wing MP Enoch Powell is fulminating against such immigrants stealing British jobs, battles with the old dilemmas of tradition versus modernity.
Such a description makes the film seem worthy, earnest and probably upsetting. But East Is East is exactly the opposite. Yes, it deals with the whole tradition-versus-modernity issue – in fact, that concern is at its heart – but it does so with such entertaining panache and unaffected poignance that it is quite irresistible.
The head of the big Khan family is domestic despot George (Om Puri), also the owner of a shop ironically named George’s English Chippy. It is largely run by his wife Ella (Linda Bassett), a salt-of-the-earth Englishwoman, with reluctant help from the kids. How this hidebound Pakistani man, who emigrated to Britain in the Thirties, came to marry an Englishwoman is never quite explained, but it doesn’t matter. Clearly, despite their differences, they love each other deeply.
George is trying to maintain his traditions, imposing them on his wilful family – he’s very keen on arranged marriages, though one has already gone very wrong, and he’s horrified to discover that his youngest son, Sajid (Jordan Routledge), has somehow escaped the Muslim rite of circumcision. Now poor Sajid will have to have his foreskin removed somewhat later than is usual, which is probably why he subsequently maintains an obstinate refusal to take off his hooded anorak.
Notably, George is given to referring to his own children as “bastards”. The other sons – Maneer (Emil Marwa), Saleem (Chris Bisson), Tariq (Jimi Mistry) and Abdul (Raji James) – are each, to varying degrees, trying to reconcile Dad’s demands with the lifestyles offered by the West, from the interests of art school to the lure of English girls. As things progress, the opportunities for conflict with “Old Bothered Balls” increase dramatically. Especially since he’s planning some more arranged marriages.
The movie is beautifully observed – every detail is just right, from the interior of the Khans’ crowded, down-at-heel home to the
forbidden disco playing Jimmy Cliff’s Wonderful World, Beautiful People. This meticulous realism, and an investment in the development of deeply felt characters (embodied with uniform excellence by the whole cast), ballasts what may be one of the funniest films you see all year. This is not the contrived gag-mongering of TV sitcoms but a gritty laughter that arises organically from the events of the story and the clashings of the characters. And it feels good.