Adapted from the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, "The Namesake" conveys the melding of two very different cultures within a Bengali family living in New York City. The film's various conflicts and themes can be easily understood by those of many ethnicities and cultures inhabiting present-day America. In a globalized world, there is a constant struggle to cling to family heritage while simultaneously stepping into new cultures and practices. This sensation is common to all of us who have experienced the inevitable process of growing up.
"The Namesake" details two generations of the Ganguli family, the first, born and raised in India and conditioned to uphold centuries of religious and cultural practice, and the second, born and raised in New York City among rock music and Western thought. The film opens with the powerful story of a woman, Ashima (Tabu), whose family arranges for her to marry Ashoke Ganguli (Irfan Kahn) and to move to his home in New York City. With half a world between her and her family, Ashima struggles to assimilate into the New York lifestyle due to her passionate adherence to her own Indian customs.
After giving birth to two children, Gogol (Kal Penn) and Sonia (Sahira Nair), Ashima's sense of self and culture is challenged to the core. As the children age, Western influence clashes with their Indian upbringing, causing painful emotional conflict between the old generation and the new. This conflict is symbolized in teenage Gogol's desire to change his name to Nikolai in an attempt to avoid the constant jabs at his unique name.
The movie thoroughly covers a massive time span, delicately demonstrating the emotional changes within and between family members. As is common with many screenplays adapted from novels, the film occasionally seems to drag, spanning 122 minutes and rarely achieving dramatic climaxes.
The elongation of events presents the one major downside to the film. It is frankly just too long. The intensity of the events throughout is emotionally tiring, tending to lose its effectiveness as the film unfolds. The length takes away most of the power from the concluding scenes, having squandered the meaning inside the core conflicts by their numerous appearances in the first hour.
This slow pace, however, is only natural for a film detailing subtle emotional changes in order to achieve a realistic feel. The conflicts Gogol struggles through are no doubt slow and painful, and the film definitely reflects a similar sensation.
The intermixing of cultures within Gogol is beautifully captured through the contrasting scenes of urban India and suburban New York. It is not often that humor can be achieved through cinematography alone, but the reappearing picture of a lit-up Santa Claus and reindeer on a neighbor's lawn evokes an almost uncomfortable laugh due to its foil: spiritual Hindu rituals.
Tabu in the role of Ashima ties the entire film together. Her character is utterly captivating, embodying the struggles of young women, wives and mothers across the world. Her reactions, mannerisms and even speech patterns are utterly heartfelt, evoking intensely emotional resonations within the audience.
Penn surprisingly soars in the role of Gogol, who along with Ashima is the focal point of the film. Their central relationship speaks volumes of not only their cultural struggles but also the normal, everyday family conflicts that pervade through all mother-child relationships.
Contrary to Penn's performances in "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle" (2004) and "Van Wilder 2: the Rise of Taj" (2006) in which he shamelessly exploits stereotypes of all kinds, here he embraces his Indian heritage in a movie that exposes the inherent struggles of assimilation, not to mention the additional hindrances put in place by Western societal perceptions of outsiders.
Although "The Namesake" might be a bit of a snooze, the captivating relations between characters and the moving messages they convey allow the film to bring something new to the table. It is a story of the American melting pot and how life in the so-called land of golden opportunity often requires the sacrifice of many core beliefs, whether cultural or personal.
