Blinded by the Light
(2019)Drama illustrating the power of music, when a Pakistani teen living in grim Thatcher-era England discovers the working-class anthems of Bruce Springsteen. From the writer/director of Bend It Like Beckham.... More
"1987, Margaret Thatcher’s England. Javed, a 16-year-old British Pakistani boy, lives in the town of Luton. His father’s recent job termination and the neighborhood skinheads are a daily reminder of the difficult times he’s living in. What young Javed really wants is to be a writer—something his father doesn’t approve of or understand—and when a new friend loans him a few Bruce Springsteen cassettes, Javed is changed forever. The Boss’s working-class anthems and affirming lyrics seem to speak directly to Javed, emboldening him to find his own voice as a writer, stand up to the racism around him, and challenge his father’s rigid ideals." (Sundance Film Festival)Hide
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Directed by Gurinder Chadha ('Bend It Like Beckham', 'Bride & Prejudice', 'Viceroy's House')
Starring Viveik Kalra, Nell Williams, Hayley Atwell, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra, Aaron Phagura, Dean-Charles Chapman, Nikita Mehta, Rob Brydon
Written by Gurinder Chadha, Sarfraz Manzoor, Paul Mayeda Berges (based on the memoir 'Greetings from Bury Park' by Sarfraz Manzoor)
The Peoples' Reviews
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Blinded by the Light
The Press Reviews
I have no doubt that by the time 2019 is done, Blinded by the Light will stand as one of the year's best films. Full Review
Newcomer Viveik Kalra radiates enough guileless enthusiasm to carry viewers past the film's rough patches. Full Review
While this flimsy coming-of-age drama over-relies on the Boss's greatest hits for its emotional high points, "Blinded by the Light" remains a likeable and touching story about finding your own voice. Full Review
It's an entertaining and watchable film, with horribly convincing reconstructions of what shopping centres and jobcentres looked like in 1987. Full Review
Boundless enthusiasm can't disguise a paperthin plot and some knuckle-biting musical sequences. Full Review
Gurinder Chadha's effervescent film is a bit cheesy and extremely hard to resist. Full Review
Combining both the universality and specificity of Springsteen's music, Blinded By The Light is an exuberant anthem to the importance of music, the need to be seen and the hope of new possibilities. Full Review
...part-musical, part-biopic, part-rom-com and all sheer bloody brilliance. Full Review
It's life-affirming, heartfelt and a lot of fun. Full Review
This is the movie that the Beatles-based Yesterday should have been. A knockabout, musically literate yarn with its heart on its sleeve. Full Review
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