The Namesake - B

In theaters. Rated PG-13, 122 minutes.

Rejection and delayed embrace of your parent's heritage and life is a rite of passage in any culture. In The Namesake, Gogol has to deal with not only those issues, but also the myriad cultural issues that coming with immigrant parents.

The film begins with Gogol's parents and their early life in India. The traditions and struggles are shown, and the pacing is methodical but tender. Ashok, Gogol's father, is inspired to go to America after a chance encounter on a tragic train ride. He was reading Nikolai Gogol, a Russian author, at the time, and the author and the event combined to provide the central lever to Ashok's life and ultimately leads to his son's unusual name.

Cut to the modern time, with Bend It Like Beckham (B+) style Indian culture vs. Americanized teens scenes. Gogol quietly rebels and rejects his heritage until his father's premature death cuts his rejection phase short and thrusts him into the embrace phase (usually its becoming a parent that brings this on). He ponders the importance of his father's words and heritage and finally understands the true meaning of his name.

This is an interesting movie and it approaches its subject with an unconventional narrative. I saw the movie at the Rio in Kansas City, an historic theater originally built in 1947 that has been restored to its original decor. Below is a picture of the exterior.