The Namesake

There has not been a movie which I've seen that has painted it so well. Though it intricately revolves itself around a culture which I cannot call my own, the movie nonetheless details how inseparable we are by the mere fact that our families have immigrated to this country. While the experiences are unique to our own, we cannot hide from the sacrifice, the cold, and the pain we share.

I have heard this story times beyond countless, drowned and numbed by iteration, but this movie surpasses them all. It felt real and that's what sets it apart; I was not watching but immersed in someone's life. Through its subtleties, I was emotionally captured. The tiniest detail, a snapshot of a family snapshot, brought me to tears. It was not through dramatic arguments or blatant references to culture or identity. I could feel their internal struggles from their facial expressions alone and snapshots of their household. It was as if they were etched into the hollow walls. The storytelling, the filmmaking, simply incredible.

I remember my junior English teacher expressing her distaste for television and movies because they took away from the imagination of literature. But honestly no offense to her, movies possess the same power in a different medium. How can one not appreciate its beauty.