Ae Fond Kiss Movie Analysis (Term Paper Sample)

Ae Fond Kiss Movie Analysis
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Ae Fond Kiss Movie Analysis
In the movie Ae Fond Kiss, the director analyzes a theme, which appears to be very sensitive yet he brings it out with love and affection. Loach depicts a moving relationship between the main characters Eva Birthistle, an Irish Catholic, and Atta Yaqub. Loach’s works is a perfect example of cultural diversity and harmony in the contemporary society outside the stereotypes perspectives. It also depicts aspects of religion and values. It is important to note that some of the values that are apparent in the movie either implicitly or explicitly are Islamic culture, Christianity, and values of the west. The movie also captures on political Islam and Islamic law. In order to conduct a thorough analysis of the movie for proper understanding, this paper shall summarize and analyze the movie. It will also conduct a comparison with the identified themes using the works of Siddiqui M. on matters of religion and Ernst C. on Islam in the contemporary society. Thesis statement shall be: cultural and religious differences are not a hindrance to global integration and socialization beyond the basics of acquaintances.
Summary and Analysis of the Movie
In the movie, the main protagonists, Casim (Yaqub) and Roisin (Birthistle) meet in unpredictable circumstances and the two develop a liking for each other. It happens that Casim has been arranged for by his family to get married to his Jasmine. Jasmine happens to be his first cousin and traditionally the two of them can marry. Casim, a DJ by profession is unhappy with this arrangement and opts to do away with such an arrangement. It happens that this was an arrangement that his parents entered into on his behalf. The movie depicts Casim’s parents as very devout Muslims. They are Tariq and Sadia. It is in the aftermath of the planned marriage that Casim meets Roisin and falls in love with her. Loach depicts Roisin as a teacher in a Catholic school where Casim’s sister attends her studies. She works as a part-time music teachers and as such, she is able to apply successfully for a short holiday break. This comes after they had seen the advert in tours and travel business and they opt to try the outing together.
During the short holiday that they take together, Casim increasingly becomes free with her and tells her about the planned traditional marriage to his cousin. The two lovebirds then face a challenging cultural conflict where Casim’s family refuses to accept his choice of the Catholic girl. Other ripple effects also follow in the story, amongst them being that Casim’s sister, Rukhsana, is forced to help carry the burden of the consequences of his brother’s action. Her fiancé ditches her on grounds that her family does not observe strict adherence to sharia law. This is in reference to Casim’s decision to marry Roisin over Jasmine. On the other side, Roisin also faces her trouble with the Catholic school. Apparently, she had once been married although she is separated. The fact that she is staying with Casim is a big deal to the school, which observes strict adherence to Christian values. Loach also depicts characters that are so resolute with their choices. While Casim still insists that his choice of partner has to be respected, Tahara is also following her academic passion in journalism much to the disapproval of her parents.
Analysis of Ae Fond Kiss
In a way, the director creates a picture of a new generation of Muslims who make effort to do away with some practices that are inconsistent with the current time. He draws individuals who not only portray culture, but who also are making an effort to redefine culture in their own way. The two characters depict a contemporary cultural perception of Islam about the west and the west about Islam. Loach depicts a situation that whereas the modern generation is tolerant and easily embraces one another irrespective of their cultural background, the older generation is still inclined to discriminate. The director also captures the reality in relationships particularly when a conflict has arisen. He portrays the two as engaging in blame game around the central issue in the conflict. Apparently, Roisin had told Casim that her father is such a great man. In the mid of confusion why he cannot be accepted, Casim asks Roisin that he cannot understand why her dad is such a great man and he cannot start treating him like a human being.
There is a generational conflict between the two and their families. The two are living in the modern world where they feel more inclined living in the modern world where they feel more inclined to freedom than to anything else. It was a common thing in the past that when parents have made a decision, children had to abide by that decision even if it went against their wishes. However, the current generation is moving away from that and Casim is a perfect example. His decision seems to surprise everyone including his brother who sees Roisin for blame in all these fiasco. Rukhsana, who is still stuck in the cultural provisions, confronts Roisin on how long they intend to stay together. He feels that Roisin’s continued dating of his brother would eventually ruin everything. He is unapologetic and straight forwards about this. He even loses his temper a bit and uses the “F” word on Roisin.
Analysis of Ae Fond Kiss Movie Ernst’s and Siddiqui Perspectives
A critical analysis of the movie reveal a lot about the contemporary interaction of Muslims, Islamic values, political Islam and Islamic law, and their interactions with western values. In his book, Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World, Ernst also discusses some themes that are very apparent in the movie. It would appear that a proper understanding of the movie might not happen in isolation. This is particularly so since the movie is a depiction of the real society. Just as Loach has shown, Ernst also indicates that Islam is part of the contemporary world (Ernst, 2004). The conflict between Roisin and Casim may be seen through Ernst’s prism that anti-Islamic attitudes in the west were a creation of the medieval times but which have lasted to present times.
One may observe that they current generation is born and inherited hatred and misconceptions about each other. At the height of the Turkish Empire, Islam had been spread using force and brutality. As a result, there was widespread hatred of Islam in areas that had been predominantly Christian. Many areas that had traditional non-Christian religions had adopted Islam as a way of life. One may say that it was because of such brutality with which the wars of conquest attempted to advance the religion that created animosity particularly between the west and the Islamic east. Even so, that was such a long time at a period when societies were still reinventing themselves. It is a pity that such attitudes that one can only trace from the Medieval times still exist. Casim is, as a result, a modern victim of medieval attitudes on Islam (Ernst, 2004).
Even so, it may never suffice the argument to analyze Islam in isolation. Apparently, the major problem actually starts from the fact that the two religions teach slightly different religious doctrines. The two religions may be related, but there are also some standing differences that make them stand apart. Although Christianity does not expressly warn against any other religion, it generalizes that religions that do not believe in Jesus as the son of God are not consistent with God’s plan for humankind. Christianity maintains that no one goes to the father but by the son. In Islam, Jesus is a mere prophet, and is not held on high regard as Mohammed is. Consequently, Casim and Roisin coming together also open up questions about whether such religious differences can be reconciled. If Roisin were to be married to Casim, probably she would have to convert to Islam so that she can fit in the Islamic society. Since the Sharia Law guides Islam, she would have to learn the DO’s and the don’ts of Islamic living. One may see that she knows about this when she asks Casim about dress code although Casim is trying to motivate he that anything would be just okay.
Most importantly, political Islam also becomes apparent in the movie. The movie attempts to address issues that have to do with anxiety amongst the Muslim community in the wake of 9/11. Prior to 9/11 and even after, there has been continued dissent of US incursion in Muslim nations. The Bush administration from the Bush Senior to Bush Junior, had all taken war to Islamic nations. The 1991 Gulf War was in response to saving Kuwait from Iraq’s tyranny. Although there was liberation, this also served to sour relations between the US and the Arab world, which is predominantly Islam. The tension that the director also sought to dissolve in the film by creating the story line around Islam (Casim) and the west (Roisin) may also be seen to be a political attempt to diffuse tension between the two over the United States Stand on the Jewish State.
Owing to this, one can say that the movie Ae Fond Kiss is also an attempt to campaign for social interactions between Islam and the west. It fist in Ernst’s prism when he observe that there is a need to avoid prejudice in approaching Islam. The author, like Loach, recognizes that there is a prejudice in approaching Islam. Whereas one would be more inclined to see a terrorist in nearly all people of Islamic religion (Ernst, 2004), Loach uses the Casim and Roisin to demonstrate that prejudice against Islam is a creation of the modern society although that is fallacious. He portrays Casim as a normal human being who like most people, has no bad intensions except to pursue happiness in a fre...