‘East is East’: an uneasy depiction of multiculturalism in ’70s Britain
Trying to capture cultural and racial clashes on screen is no easy feat. While 1999’s East is East gave it a good go, the result is a well-intentioned exploration of the lives of a family with a Pakistani father and a British mother that often borders on stereotypes and perpetuates a potentially harmful narrative.
Directed by Damien O’Donnell, the movie takes its source material from Ayub Khan-Din’s play. Laden with humour, the movie focuses on the reign of the family patriarch Zahir, better known as George. After moving to England, marrying an English woman named Ella and having seven children, he soon finds that his offspring – having grown up in the working-class streets of Manchester – primarily identify with British culture.
As he tries to marry Abdul and Tariq off to Pakistani girls, his sons do their best to get out of these arranged relationships – after all, one of them has a girlfriend anyway; she just so happens to be white. Meanwhile, another son, Maneer, who was disowned by George, is living as a gay man.
George’s religious and cultural values clash with his kids, who aren’t interested in his way of thinking, seeing it as restrictive and traditional. They want to do what their peers are doing, whether that be going out drinking or dating whoever they like. The film does a good job of depicting this clash between cultures and the difficulties one can experience when they aren’t sure of their true identity. There are plenty of funny moments, with the movie suggesting that everyone should be free to live as they choose, whether that be adhering to the religion they were brought up in or exploring other ways of thinking and living.
The ironic fact that George moved to England from Pakistan, goes by a common Western name, is married to an English woman, and runs a fish and chip shop is not lost on his children. They call out his double standards and ask why they can’t also marry someone of a different religion and cultural background. It’s a fascinating look at interracial relationships and the very real clashes that can occur between people of different backgrounds, especially in Britain.
Yet, you can’t help but feel as though the film often trivialises and undermines the amount of racism experienced by South Asians in England, making it a punchline undoubtedly consumed – and enjoyed – by those responsible for spouting racial hate (casually or otherwise). The movie seems to suggest that George’s incredibly violent, misogynistic and close-mindedness is because of his Pakistani-Muslim identity and not as a result of any other potential factors, such as the influence of the patriarchy, for example.
While more open-minded viewers will watch East is East and know that George is not representative of all South Asian men, it is certainly arguable that the film presents a harmful depiction of his identity that is oppressive, dated and intolerable of other cultures, which only perpetuates a negative and untrue stereotype.
Moreover, the movie seems to focus too heavily on the relations between different cultural identities that it ignores George’s disgusting treatment of his wife. He beats her and leaves her covered in bruises, but miraculously, all is well by the end of the film, and Ella seems to forgive him despite his violent nature. Not only does he beat her, but he also attacks one of the children and threatens them with a knife. To many viewers, his behaviour is unforgivable. Within the movie, domestic abuse is glossed over without sufficient attention given to such a serious matter.
East is East is a complicated film, one that many viewers might be able to relate to due to its exploration of what it means to grow up surrounded by conflicting cultural identities. Yet, we cannot ignore the movie’s reliance on stereotypes for laughs and its depiction of Muslim characters as repressive, violent, close-minded and even ugly (the prospective wives). While the movie seeks to explore the complexity of existing in a country where one’s culture is not readily accepted, East is East occupies an uneasy middle ground that fails to accurately delve into the intersections at play.
