What's In a Name?
posted on Thursday, November 29, 2007 in Movie Reviews
There’s a whole lot of story in The Namesake. Spanning over thirty years of life in the Ganguli family, this movie is one of the most ambitious and comprehensive pictures of modern immigrant life in America. Unfortunately, while the movie is mostly great, it just couldn’t live up to its ambition. The Namesake is based on the book written Jhumpa Lahiri. It’s the story of the Ganguli family, primarily of Ashima, the mother and of Gogol, the eldest son. Through their eyes, the audience experiences what it’s like to be a Bengali Indian living in America, from the view of two generations. Ashima is unsure whether she should have left India at all, and Gogol is having an identity crisis as he is torn between his heritage and the place he was born.
It’s a grand tale indeed, and one worth telling. The problem is that we don’t really get to see all that much of it. At one hour and fifty-two minutes, The Namesake is still too short to really flesh out the stories of these characters. Thirty years of life is far too much to compress into two hours, and what we end up with is a kind of episodic storytelling that doesn’t help build the drama.
What’s there is really good, but it just feels like there’s so much more to be learned about these characters. We gloss over most of Gogol’s development as an adult, and we move too quickly through things that feel big and important. There are practical considerations to make, but there’s no shaking the feeling that the film could’ve benefited from a few extra minutes. The emotional connection with these characters could have been stronger.
It doesn’t mean that the entire thing isn’t compelling, however. There’s a whole lot of good story in here, and a lot revealed about Indian culture and heritage that feels entirely genuine. The film meditates on a lot of differing views about heritage and culture, but it doesn’t make any judgements. This is crucial, and The Namesake does a good job of letting people decide what they think.
The film is shot pretty well. Mira Nair has a knack for imparting a sort of grace to cinema. The film feels delicate, and quietly beautiful. It isn’t the easiest thing to describe, but let it be said that no one will have complaints about how this movie is shot.
Kal Penn, best known for his role in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, is a revelation in this film. He shows incredible depth and range as Gogol, and he really makes you wish that we could see much more of his life. The rest of the cast is just as good, easily conveying the complexities of a tale that happens over such a long period of time.
The Namesake is a good movie, but it feels like it could’ve been better. It could’ve been great if it just had more time to really let those characters grow and emotions stew. It is a rare film, however, that makes you wish it was longer. It is definitely worth a watch.
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