Ali’s Wedding is a humorous film directed by Jeffery Walker, in 2017.
The
film is about a boy named Ali, who fakes his UCAT score, and the web of
lies he solely spun afterwards. Through his move, Walker suggests that
the immigration experience in Australia is defined by a constant struggle,
as the characters are conflicted between preservation of their culture and
adaption to their new country. The film, however, tried to make the
experience funny and relatable by adding humour in emotional scenes.
In the film, Ali’s Wedding, it illustrates the conflict between cultural
expectations and personal desires through Ali’s struggle to balance his
family’s traditions with his own ambitions as he tries to be himself but is
burdened by his lies. This is demonstrated by Ali stating “I wanted to
follow my own dreams, but I also wanted to make my dad proud. I just
didn’t know how to do both.” This quote reflects Ali’s inner conflict. He
was brought up to be smart and continue as a doctor to make his father
proud, however, he wanted to be an actor which isn’t accepted by his
community. Ali was troubled between being what he desired and his
parent’s expectations of him. Another example is that the film repeatedly
shows Ali lying about being a medical student to follow his father’s
dreams. This indirectly emphasises his struggle to balance his own desires
with the demands of his culture. Ali always follows his father’s word as he
believes that his father suffered so much to give him a better future, that
this is his way to thank him. Hence, Ali’s continued efforts to meet his
parent's expectations persist as he tries to balance his culture’s
expectations with his personal desires.
Ali’s Wedding also makes the immigrant experience relatable and heartfelt
by adding humorous lines to emotional moments making it more
memorable. This is illustrated in a scene where Ali’s father gives a speech
about the importance of tradition while Ali makes bemused faces as he’s
distracted. This is a comedic scene as Ali was brought up in Australia
which means his values are portrayed to be different compared to his
parents, which also demonstrates his struggle to maintain his traditions
while adapting to modern desires. Another example is when Ali says, “If I
could be two people, one for my family and one for myself, life would be a
lot simpler.” This quote reflects on Ali trying to be himself but also wanting
to be accepted by his parents. He tried to be more traditional to make his
parents proud, but he wanted to be more ‘Australian’ by not caring too
much about this. However, Ali delivered this line in a way that was
humorous and dramatic, making the situation seem less serious.
Therefore, by adding humour to emotional scenes, Ali’s Wedding also
depicts the immigration experience as funny and relatable, but also
heartfelt.
