The 1980s were not a great time to be of Pakistani descent in the UK. Hate crimes are at an all-time high and the economy is suffering. Plus, there is really no good era to be a misunderstood teenager. Javed is both those things in this coming-of-age comedy based on a true story. Javed finds solace in the music of one Bruce Springsteen, relating to his themes of small-city blues and the dreams of escaping them.
All of this makes Blinded By The Light a charming movie about a lot of unpleasantness, and while it tries to be too many things (a commentary on race, a musical, a coming of age story, etc), it succeeds where it matters: to treat the story with care and intelligence.
"There's a truth and a cultural specificity to everything that happens here, which allows it to be optimistic to a fault without ever slipping into saccharine movie fakery."
— Tom Beasley
"It wears its heart too heavily on one sleeve to make for a consistent film, but it has the pieces needed to make for a crowd-pleaser. Well, a lot of the time, that is."
— Matt Cipolla
In 1987, during the austere days of Thatcher’s Britain, a teenager learns to live life, understand his family, and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen.
Sundance
1 nomination
