Monday, September 8

The Namesake

On Monday, September 8, the Levermore Global Scholars Program screened The Namesake to emphasize the issues of immigration and assimilation in the United States. The screening of the film was followed by a discussion about love, marriage, family, and immigration. Below is the reflection and movie review written by John Campana, LGS Freshman.

There are many films that do no reach blockbuster status or are not shown on the big screen. Yet, The Namesake is perhaps one of the best films that I have seen. This Bengali- orientated film has many facets-family, honor, death, and change.

It is a story of a relatively young Bengali family assimilating to the American lifestyle. Throughout the movie, they discover the many hardships that come from moving to another country. The most significant thing that this movie introduced to me is the importance of family and how it affects our everyday life. One quote that my mother always says is that as a family, if we separate, we are each one finger; but if we all united, we can become a fist that can deliver a mighty blow. This saying is perhaps the foundation of the movie. Ashima wanted to keep her family together and always longed to be in contact with her children. Her children were the only thing that she had in this country; she had stayed in the United States for them even though she was suffering more than she could ever imagine.

When Ashima moved to America, she knew nothing and was accustomed to a completely different environment. She was in an unfamiliar country with a man that she had known for only a week. That is why she cared for her kids the way she did and why she gave all the love she had to them.

Later in the film, Ashima became more independent by learning how to drive and getting a job at the local library. She proved to herself that even at her age, she had something more to look forward to than just rearing her children. The great catalyst that made her begin to live as an independent person, however, was the unfortunate death of her husband. This is perhaps the first time throughout the whole movie that she shows true emotion, which is what I believe the director wanted to emphasize. He used the angles and the surroundings by making her travel throughout the house without knowing where to go as if she did not know what to do with herself.

Another observation that I had made is that the Bengali culture is very stoic; they do not behave rashly. This was shown when Gogol decided to keep his name. At this point, they did not yell at the child, they simply let him be and allowed him to keep the name that he had chosen.

Namesake was a fantastic film that introduced me to a culture that I had never shown any particular interest in. Now, in the aftermath of my ignorance, I realize that this culture has a lot more to offer than I had originally thought, and I thank the Levermore Global Scholars Program for that.



Written by John Campana, LGS Freshman
Edited by Yoko Liriano, LGS Freshman