Yasmin

I caught this movie on TV and didn't think it would necessarily appeal to me, but from the very first I was caught up in it and had to watch right to the end. I thought the acting performances were very honest, while the script was true-to-life. I felt as if I was entering Yasmin's world every time she went home.

I particularly liked the friendship she had with John, which played out realistically.

At no point were the events clichéd, and the drama-documentary feel of the film was very effective. There were lots of well-observed details which lent to the authenticity of the film, and nice juxtapositions of the Muslim community living in a northern English town.

I found it compelling and moving.

In England, the Pakistanis Yasmin (Archie Panjabi) lives two lives in two different worlds: in her community, she wears Muslin clothes, cooks for her father and brother and has the traditional behavior of a Muslin woman. Further, she has a non-consumed marriage with the illegal immigrant Faysal to facilitate the British stamp in his passport, and then divorce him. In her job, she changes her clothes and wears like a Westerner, is considered a standard employee and has a good Caucasian friend who likes her. After the September, 11th, the prejudice in her job and the treatment of common people makes her take side and change her life.

"Yasmin" is a powerful drama that exposes the tough life of Muslin immigrants in England after the terrorist attack of September, 11th. The story is very real and well acted, and shows the difficult situation of simple people that suddenly are hated, submitted to interracial intolerance, injustice and prejudice, just because of a group of religious fanatics, causing a generalization of worldwide hate. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Yasmin - Uma Mulher, Dois Mundos" ("Yasmin, A Woman, Two Worlds")

While watching the movie "Yasmin", directed by Kenny Glenaan, you get a realistic picture of a Muslim family from Pakistan living in the north of England. As you can guess from the title, the plot is focused on emancipated Yasmin Husseini, who switches between her traditional Muslim and her modern western life. After the incidents of 9/11, an arranged marriage and a night in prison, she withdraws from her "double-life" and comes back to her Muslim origin.

Without using any spectacular visual effects "Yasmin" catches you with a lot authenticity. All of the different but interesting and individual characters make the film very dynamic. On the one hand, there is the conservative father Khalid, who just tries to conform to his western life without losing his Muslim tradition. Yasmin's brother Nasir, on the other hand, is fed up with his life in the western culture. Another important person is Faisal, the "import" and Yasmin's husband, who is not able to communicate with anyone of the Husseinis but a goat. Yasmin as the main character has to cope with all these family members and tries not to hurt or disappoint anyone. You will see how she manages all that, although going on with her ordinary modern lifestyle.

I want to recommend this movie to all of you because it shows a point of view from "the other side" of dealing with terror and religious identity. You are demanded to think about Muslim culture and our established prejudices.

I initially thought 'Yasmin' was going to be just another preachy 9/11 aftermath flick but I was pleasantly surprised. It tells the story of a young Muslim British who leads a double life. There is a Yasmin who wears a burka when she's out in her neighbourhood, who cooks for her father and brother and who is only legally married to a potential immigrant. Then there's a Yasmin who wears modern Western clothes, hangs out at the pub with a colleague she fancies and doesn't mind an occasional drink. She knows that her family and neighbours won't accept this side of her and she knows that her colleagues won't accept the Muslim side of her. However, after 9/11 Yasmin is forced with an identity crisis and it is here that she discovers her strength and the beauty of who she really is. 'Yasmin' never goes over the top which in a way is its strength but also its weakness.

The execution, for one, is too simplistic. The cinematography, the lack of score, the washed out colour look, the sound design, doesn't occasionally feels too dull. There are also some cultural clichés that 'Yasmin' seems to not have been able to escape.

Archie Punjabi is marvelous in the title role. It's a tour du force performance which she plays very subtly unlike the hyped Hollywood performances that beg for an Oscar. The rest of the cast do a decent job, especially the actor playing her husband.

'Yasmin' attempts to tell a different side of the aftermath of the 9/11. Even though it's not shown for more than a few minutes it's still an intriguing perspective and an important story.

The film "Yasmin" by Kenny Glenaan is about a young Pakistani woman who has to rearrange her world past 9/11. Yasmin, who lives in the Muslim area of a north English town, has a double life. In the Muslim society she is the daughter of the mosque's custodian and a good Muslim wife, but in her job in the "white, English world" she is an atheist and trendy single woman. The truth lies somewhere in between, which she has to face when 9/11 hits her life and people start treating her with mistrust and suspicion.

The conflicted Yasmin has a conservative, religious father. Her brother is also religious but he can easily be influenced and becomes an extremist. In contrast to them there is John, her English friend, who is obviously in love with Yasmin but is finally overtaxed by Yasmin's problems. One of those is Faysal, her bogus husband, who is completely misplaced in England because he is incapable of the language and isolated.

Kenny Glenaan has created a movie which shows a woman finding her identity in the middle of a religious conflict. He shows how prejudices can destroy lives, and how they can affect everyone. But he also explains how extreme situations can make you think about yourself and find your place in the world.

I really liked "Yasmin" because it is about real people, issues and emotions. You can feel that there are real stories behind this fiction.

One could say this movie is too simple, no work of art. But I guess it is in fact this simplicity which makes this film that good, because it is not artificial- it is simply a captivating story. That's enough.

I recommend this film to everyone who is interested in real issues and people, in the problems of our time and the impact they have on us. Everyone fascinated by the complex relations between people will be captivated by this study of microcosm of a conflicted family.