Video Americain

Review

Casim is an accounting student, a D.J. with plans to open his own nightclub and a second-generation Glasgow-born Pakistani. The family still faces occasional ostracism as foreigners despite a 40-year residency and the marked westernization of Casim and his sister Tahara. Yet tradition still survives, and Casim is nine weeks away from an arranged marriage to a first cousin. Picking up his sister from school one day, Casim finds himself running through the halls, chasing Tahara as she chases the punk tormentors who foolishly harassed her. Tahara’s chase ends in the music room, where Casim is struck dumb by the radiant Roisin, the music teacher who is herself transplanted from another country. Roisin captures his heart at first sight, and they come together effortlessly, instantly in harmony, in tune, in love. They are made a 21st-century Romeo and Juliet, courtesy of the global political landscape and the expectations of family, friends and the communities they live in: Casim must face the wrath of his family (excluding Tahara); and Roisin loses her job through the efforts of a sanctimonious parish priest. Inevitably, the hostilities they face become turned back on themselves, dissolving the bond they once enjoyed. For all of this, the film retains an open, airy feeling of joy and possibility — something of a departure for director Loach, and no doubt aided by the charm and effervescence of the two lead actors. A Fond Kiss joins emotional satisfaction with intelligent compassion, offering a hopeful conclusion in an imperfect world.

 -- Ann Yarabinee