Blinded by the Light
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.
"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)
- Director:
- Gurinder Chadha ('Bend It Like Beckham', 'Bride & Prejudice', 'Viceroy's House')
- Writer:
- Gurinder ChadhaSarfraz ManzoorPaul Mayeda Berges
- Cast:
- Viveik KalraNell WilliamsHayley AtwellKulvinder GhirMeera GanatraAaron PhaguraDean-Charles ChapmanNikita MehtaRob Brydon
Reviews & comments
Stuff
pressThis is the movie that the Beatles-based Yesterday should have been. A knockabout, musically literate yarn with its heart on its sleeve.
Empire Magazine
pressCombining 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.
Little White Lies
pressBoundless enthusiasm can't disguise a paperthin plot and some knuckle-biting musical sequences.
Time Out
pressGurinder Chadha's effervescent film is a bit cheesy and extremely hard to resist.
The Guardian
pressThere's something so constructed and suffocating about watching a tried and tested formula not working, the over-sentimental string-pulling on show for all to see.
Screen Daily
pressWhile 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.
Hollywood Reporter
pressNewcomer Viveik Kalra radiates enough guileless enthusiasm to carry viewers past the film's rough patches.
Collider
pressI have no doubt that by the time 2019 is done, Blinded by the Light will stand as one of the year's best films.
Stuff
pressThis is the movie that the Beatles-based Yesterday should have been. A knockabout, musically literate yarn with its heart on its sleeve.
Empire Magazine
pressCombining 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.
Little White Lies
pressBoundless enthusiasm can't disguise a paperthin plot and some knuckle-biting musical sequences.
Time Out
pressGurinder Chadha's effervescent film is a bit cheesy and extremely hard to resist.
The Guardian
pressThere's something so constructed and suffocating about watching a tried and tested formula not working, the over-sentimental string-pulling on show for all to see.
Screen Daily
pressWhile 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.
Hollywood Reporter
pressNewcomer Viveik Kalra radiates enough guileless enthusiasm to carry viewers past the film's rough patches.
Collider
pressI have no doubt that by the time 2019 is done, Blinded by the Light will stand as one of the year's best films.
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