Monsoon Wedding: Let It Rain....

erm.. i found the paeodiphile quite attractive in a jonathan coe kind of way, until i discovered his nefarious dealings and had to kick my silver-haired-lurve-fantasies to the curb. *anxiety*

i was kind of disappointed by the film, though this could be partially put down to the fact that i was sitting at the back of a theatre where only the front speakers were working... and i've had a run of really excellent films and plays recently, therefore, tough competition. i found the first half nice but a little unremarkable, though it perked up quite well in the last half hour. great closing choon aswell.

or paedophile even

WHat disappointed you. My firned liked it but thought it all a bit inconsequential. That, on the other hand, was what I liked about it. It built up some great melodramatic potential and tended to then deal with them in muh more realistic ways (whilst showing the magnitude of moral dilema & compromise). Showed how an arranged marriage could be based on compromise which may well lead to much better state of affairs as the marriage goes on (and we keep having to compromise). But it was also so full of life.

It's playing at the cinema where I work and although I've yet to see it it looks pretty good. The music on the trailer and credits is fab though - I keep meaning to investigate all the Indian pop (and not that FuXoR Singh).

I keep meaning to go and see me but am very lazy when it comes to hoofing it to a cinema, so I usually end up seeing things on video. But best to see it before the Lloyd Webber Bollywood musical starts, I suppose - otherwise everyone will want to see it.

i'd have to agree with your friend. it's not that i found the characters or their concerns uninteresting, i just felt that they were portrayed in a way that was sometimes a little inane. irish films have a tendency to do that, and i couldn't help wondering how the film was received in India. after the event, the only negative criticism of the film that i could find was at indian websites - none hugely critical - one of which claimed it to be as interesting as a friend's wedding video. which is on the money, in my book.

despite its dramatic potential (*issues*), the continual commitment to feel-good factor limited it. i couldn't help but like it but couldn't find enough substance in it to love it.

That is what I liked about it - I suppose in contrast to most Indian cinema where the word melodrama is stretched to its very limits. There is obviously a cultural tourism element with regards to the fact I've not been to a Hindi wedding (tho I have been to a Monsoon Wedding - v.v.auspicious) whilst my friend had (she's half Bangladeshi, half Spanish - you should see the weddings she's been to). But then a) Iany wedding video (not hard) b) Isn't this kind of verisimilitude exactly the kind of thing we applaude in film-maker like Ken Loach of Altman?

it is, you're right. generally i fight the other corner esp. re my love of sixties kitchen sink drama. i think it's a personal thing. for some reason i accept it in british films and not in foreign ones. not entirely sure whether this is because the british do it best or merely personal prejudice. have a sneaking suspicion that it's the latter.