Blinded By the Light

Blinded By The Light 2019

Directed by Gurinder Chadha. She began her career as a news reporter with BBC Radio, directed several award winning documentaries for the BBC, and then started an alliance with the British Film Institute (BFI) and Channel Four. Her directing credits include Bhaji On The Beach (1993), Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008) and most famously Bend It Like Beckham (2003).

Based on true events, set in Luton in 1987 we follow Javed, an angsty teenager and wannabe writer who is struggling to find his way (and voice) in the austerity driven years of Thatcher’s Britain. When a new found friend lends him two Bruce Springsteen albums (Darkness on the Edge of Town and Born In The U.S.A) he finds a potential release from his racially oppressed life, and overbearing and traditional Pakistani Father.

The acting here was solid and there wasn’t a weak link in the relatively small cast. Javed (Viveik Kalra) was great, fully believable as we see him first listen to the album and soak in the lyrics ( no pun intended) with the storm of 1987 as a backdrop. Aaron Phagura who plays Javed’s “Boss” loving friend Roops was on point without really getting any help from the script. There were some decent cameos too. Dean-Charles Chapman (Tommen from Game of Thrones) Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter from the MCU) and popular comedian Rob Brydon. But for me though, it was Javed’s Mother and Father Noor and Malik played by Meera Ganatra and Kulvinder Ghir respectively that stood above the rest. There is a scene in their kitchen when Noor is giving her husband a hair cut and dye to keep up appearances – their conversation is both beautiful and sad. Easily the best scene in the film.

The direction of the film is where it falls down for me.The first act (pre Bruce music) was slow but the subject matter called for that I guess. It was the films texture as a whole that had me confused. It seemed unsure which line to take. It jumped from cold coming-of-age drama to flash mob dancing musical twice in the second act and it took me out of the film both times. I’m sure if Gurinder Chadha had committed to either one of those lines rather then jumping between the two then the flow would have been better and I would have enjoyed it more. If this was a clear direction choice then it didn’t work for me.

Much like I felt with the film Bohemian Rhapsody and Queen there was no way a film featuring the music of Springsteen wasn’t going to be loved by me. There were probably a dozen songs throughout the 117 minute run time and I enjoyed every one of them. I thought it was brilliant the way they showed music and lyrics being universal. The words written and sang by an Irish-American about getting out of his hometown in New Jersey in the late seventies seemed so perfect for a teenage Pakistani boy trying to break away from Luton in the mid-eighties. We also see the lyrics on screen as Javed is hearing them, so we see the sense of wonder in his face as he feels them resonate in his life. That is smart.

It also scores a few extra points as I’m a sucker for true event films and there was a little bit added in the credits to tell us Javed has been to over 150 concerts, he and Roops are still friends to this day and there were multiple pictures of Springsteen with them and their families. That being said, the music was the best part of the film for me and much like Bohemian Rhapsody, I’d much rather spend that time again just listening to the albums instead of re-watching the film.