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 The Namesake- REL 110 Jul 14, 2010
The Namesake was a suprise to me, I really liked this movie. It's a story of a Bengali family and their move to the U. S. A. The story line of packing up, leaving everyone and everything you know is fasinating to me. My daughter had a friend in high school that did the same, until now I never really appreciated what it meant. I could understand Gogol's mother and how she felt. When your children are small you are the center of their universe, as they get older and want independance it's hard to let go. Your afraid they won't come back, you will be forgotten. I cried with her when her children didn't go home for the holidays and when she was alone when her husband passed.
As for Gogol, I was a teenager once, I understand the struggle for independance, to find his idenity here. Several times I felt myself get angry at him because of how he treated his parents but thats part of growing up and letting go. I was proud of him when he was there for his mother after his Dad passed but I do think he married the wrong girl for the wrong reasons.
The only thing I have seen Kal Penn in is House, I liked this much better. Thsi movie touches so many issues that happen in families of all walks of life. While family ties can be fragile it is a bond that will keep you together forever.
An excellent movie!
 Namesake Review for REL-110 (spoilers) Jun 08, 2010
I watched the movie The Namesake as an assignment for my Living Religions class. The Namesake is a movie that was released in 2007 and is based on the book The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. The first part of the movie moves quickly across time, changes of scenary, and at times it is hard to follow. Throughout the beginning of the movie we are shown bits of the main characters, Ashoke and Ashima's, lives. From their wedding to the birth of both of their children, Gogul and Sonali and we are shown how Ashima adjusts to living in New York City and away from her home in India. Often these pieces do not appear to fit together until the ending of the movie is revealed.
The movie is appropriately titled The Namesake. Throughout the movie there is a lot of discussion regarding their son, Gogul's name. When Gogul is first born the hospital insists that the baby must be named prior to leaving. However Ashoke and Ashima are awaiting a name from Ashima's grandmother and do not want to choose a name on their own. Faced with the dilemma they decided to name the baby Gogul until the official naming ceremony is performed. Later when baby Sonali is having her naming ceremony, Ashima discusses Gogul starting school and we learn that Gogul will use his proper name, Nicholai Gogol Ganguli because this name would keep him from being picked on. To his parents dismay Gogul tells his teacher's to call him Gogul. Gogul's name continues to be a discussion throughout the movie. We learn through a scene with Gogul in high school, that he was named after Nikolai Vasilievich Gogul. Gogul is furious with his family when he learns that Nikolai was a brilliant Russian writer that his teacher described as an eccentric, genius, hypochondriac, who never married, had no children, and committed suicide by slowly starving himself. At a visit to his parent's house, it is revealed that Ashoke gave Gogul his name because of a flashback we saw at the beginning of the movie. The flashback depicted Ashoke on a train that crashed and nearly killed him. Prior to the crash, Ashoke met a man who inspired Ashoke to live abroad and view the world. Ashoke was reading a book when the train crashed by his favorite author named Nikolai Gogul. By naming Gogul after the author, Ashoke is reminded each day is a blessing.
The movie also dipicts the struggles of Hindu families face trying to fit into the American culture. Gogul and Sonali are both shying away from their heritage and embracing the American culture. Gogul is shown hanging out with friends, doing drugs, rocking out to music and is going to Yale. The family visits India, and we are shown how disgusted Sonali is with being there due to the culture. As the family sight sees through India, and visits the Taj Mahal, Gogul decides to study Architecture. As Gogul grows up, he becomes more Americanized, and changes his name to Nikolai in order to compete in the business world as an architect. He falls in love with an American girl named Max whom he spends all of his time with, and begins distancing himself from his parent's traditional ways.
When Gogul's father suddenly dies of a heart attack Gogul realizes how detached from his family he has become, and begins making things right by living through his heritage. Gogul shaves his head as a symbol of mourning for his father's death. He also breaks up with Max and actively participates at his father's funeral. He travels with his mother to spread his father's ashes in the Ganjis.
Upon returning to New York, Gogul embraces his heritage and begins dating a Hindu girl named Moushumi. Mushumi does not appear to be a practicing Hindu and is Americanized. The two however, are married in a traditional Hindu marriage ceremony and appear happy. However, we learn that Moushumi is having an affair with a French acquaintance named Pierre. Gogul is heartbroken. The movie ends with several flashbacks. Most importantly the flashback of Gogul and his father at the beach after Sonali was born. In this scene, Gogul's father tells Gogul to experience the world.
The movie was a good learning experience for someone who is not familiar with the Hindu religion and culture. There were several great examples of the culture. In the beginning of the movie we are shown the goddess Saraswati that is being hung in the street for some sort of celebration. The movie depicts a traditional Indian home, town and dress. We are shown two traditional Hindu weddings as well as a Hindu funeral. I did not understand the head shaving at first, but after researching it discovered that it is called tonsure. It is done to purify, and is a symbolic offering to the gods. The movie also portrays the different dress that Hindu's wear. When Sonali goes to India with the family she has to have new clothes made so she will be dressed appropriately. The naming ceremony is portrayed when Sonali is a baby. There are two instances of arranged marriages. The first instance is at beginning of the story when Ashoke and Ashima are married. The second is after Gogul's graduation he is introduced to Mushumi, and their parents were trying to arrange a marriage at that time. At the funeral, wedding and naming ceremonies we are shown punju being performed. This movie while slow to start was a great way to experience the Hindu religion and culture and was a good story as well. I would definitely recommend seeing this movie.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 The "Namefake": Awful, embarassing May 25, 2010
This film is awful, a preposterous little package of cliches and sentimentality. The plot turns are predictable, the film making without artistic merit. I heard good things about the book, but this film does not inspire me to buy it, since here we are told a thoroughly generic intercultural story, with no nuance and no true depth. I've never cared to write a review on amazon.com, but was appalled when I saw the high approval rating (99 reviewers, 4.5 stars) for this poor excuse of a movie. If you like good cinema, don't waste your time with this pap. It's laughable. (Oh, and my girlfriend groaned in disbelief too. There was, I must say, perhaps one upside: it's been a while since I've read Gogol. Maybe I'll go reread him as penance for having wasted two hours of my life with "The Namesake.")
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 The Namesake Apr 13, 2010
I think that this movie was good. I liked that there was a love story. I think that there could have been subtitles for the parts that were in Hindu because I had no idea what they were saying. I felt a bit lost. I like that the at first the son went against what his religion and parents. He dated a Christian instead of someone from the Hindu religion. I felt sad for him when he got married and then his wife ended up cheating on him. I really don't understand why he married her in the first place. Since she had different dreams then he did. I thought it was funny when the family went to visit there grandparents. The sister complained about not having air conditioning. Also she whined when her mother was embarassing her. It was ok in showing some of the culture that Hindu's do. I think that you would have to be an open minded person to watch this movie. I do not know that I would recomend this movie to my friends because I do not think that they would like this movie.
I'm the alien Mar 28, 2010
A young Indian Ph.D. physics student miraculously survives a train wreck but is severely injured. Despite spending a year in a body cast he feels every day after the accident is a gift.
He moves to America to take up a professorship; he returns to India to meet a woman his parents have found for him. She likes him and they marry. She accompanies her husband back to America, where houses stand far apart and are covered by the grey snow of cities.
They have a first child whom they name Gogol after the Russian writer the husband so admires. The parents make American friends and are on good terms with most everyone. They are not, and can never be, quite at home in this alien land but they find contentment and happiness. They buy a home and invite their Indian friends to a traditional ceremony blessing their house.
The boy grows up in the United States and rebels against his Indian heritage. His parents accept this as a result of their own choice to live abroad. A trip back to India brings the relief of a homecoming, but the family must return to their new chosen homeland.
As a story, the Namesake hardly breaks new ground. Men and women marry, children can be difficult, life abounds with surprises both good and bad. On the other hand, the film masterfully generates instant empathy for the Indian family: even as a north-American non-Indian who knows nothing of life in India, I felt America was alien and India was home. We are the aliens, not this family.
Vincent Poirier, Tokyo
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