Blinded by the Light (2019)

Blinded by the Light (2019)

Bruce Springsteen's music is a gateway from racism in this British comedy

7.1

Movie

France, UK
English
Comedy, Drama
2019
FEMALE DIRECTOR, GURINDER CHADHA
Aaron Phagura, Asheq Akhtar, Billy Barratt
118 min

What it's about

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.

The take

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.

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