Anthony's Film Review - Blinded by the Light (2019)

This well-written film presents a creative mix of a character's journey, a cross-cultural drama, and music...

Blinded by the Light is a film that presents an interesting take on a timeless notion: music has universal appeal. Any piece of music has the potential to connect with human emotions. It doesn't matter who you are or what kind of music it is. Furthermore, the impact of music isn't limited to where the musician lives. Theoretically, anyone around the world can enjoy any kind of music made anywhere on Earth. Really, music is a limitless art form, with no geographical boundaries or cultural barriers.

That includes the example in this movie: the music of American rocker Bruce Springsteen inspiring a Pakistani teen in England. It is the year 1987. Javed Khan (played memorably by Viveik Kalra) is a 16-year-old resident of the English town of Luton, living with his family that comprises his father, mother, and two sisters. He is exposed to both a traditional Pakistani upbringing and modern British culture. Outside his family, Javed has a best friend named Matt (Dean-Charles Chapman), and in school, he meets a fellow South Asian named Roops (Aaron Phagura), a lovely liberally-minded girl named Eliza (Nell Williams), and an English teacher named Miss Clay (Hayley Atwell). Sadly, Javed is experiencing major cultural conflict. The film does a nice job showing that conflict, not just telling it. Javed says in diary monologues that he wants to get far away from his family and pursue his dreams as a writer, but what really illustrates the conflict are the actions we see, particularly the father's strict forbidding of things like girls, parties, and studying subjects that may not guarantee a job with an income.

After we see this for a while, the film presents the turning point, which is also beautifully shown. During a stormy night, Javed starts listening to Bruce Springsteen cassette tapes that he has borrowed from Roops. The moment the music starts, Javed is transfixed to it. He stares ahead as Springsteen's lyrics, presented not just audibly but also visually on screen, bring out the emotional pain imprisoned inside. When it is over, Javed has become a different person, one who is more expressive, emotionally free, and inspired to chase his dream. Essentially, Javed is, as Springsteen says in one of his songs, born to run.

With a new perspective on life, things seem to be looking up for Javed. He successfully starts dating Eliza. Miss Clay sees great potential as a writer in Javed, and gives him opportunities that may not be presented to him otherwise. And Javed solidifies his friendship with Roops, who had provided the introduction to Springsteen Javed so desperately needed. As a new Bruce Springsteen fan, Javed doesn't seem to feel lost anymore. Whether he is alone or with friends, Javed has developed the confidence to deal with life, thanks to the music of Bruce Springsteen, a.k.a. "The Boss."

However, Javed's family is a whole different story. As expected, the patriarch strongly disapproves of his son listening to Bruce Springsteen, the same way he feels about anyone or anything outside Pakistani culture. The conflict only intensifies and reaches a breaking point. Aside from family, another source of Javed's angst is racism. The film doesn't hold back on scenes that depict racist treatment directed towards Javed and other people of similar descent. In some of these conflict-oriented sequences, the role of Bruce Springsteen's music is less about providing salvation for Javed and more about putting him to the test. Eventually, Javed may be forced to ask himself what is most important to him and what choices are the best ones to make.

Blinded by the Light is directed by Gurinder Chadha, a British Indian filmmaker who previously directed What's Cooking? and Bend It Like Beckham, which are also films presenting multiple cultures. She is a great choice for directing this film, because she successfully presents British culture and Pakistani culture equally well and seamlessly weaves in Bruce Springsteen lyrics in all the right places. Thanks to her, the film is also a cross-cultural drama in addition to the story of an adolescent boy finding himself. If there is another script written for a film that portrays two or more cultures, particularly if one is a traditional culture, Chadha should be given first priority to direct.

I definitely enjoyed Blinded by the Light, for its solid performances, wonderful central character, and engaging story. I am also amazed how there are two target audiences that you may not expect to see side-by-side at first: fans of cultural films and fans of Bruce Springsteen. Best of all, this is based on a true story. There really was a young South Asian man whose life was greatly influenced by Bruce Springsteen, and the Boss himself gave this film his blessing. This isn't some fictional tale that is unlikely to actually occur. It's like I said: music has universal appeal. So let me conclude with two statements incorporating Springsteen song titles. It doesn't matter whether you were born in the USA. As long as you are inspired, like Javed in this film or Chadha who directed it, you are born to run.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Blinded by the Light, visit the Internet Movie Database.