Yasmin

The young, free-spirited Yasmin lives in the North of England. She has to find the balance between her traditional Pakistani family and her need to enjoy the freedom of Western society. After a period of rebellion as a teenager, she gives in to the demands of her father, a widower, and agrees to an arranged marriage with a cousin ‘from back home’. However things don’t look too good when the goatherd from a Pakistani village meets the vivacious, westernised Yasmin. And after the shocking events of 9/11, Yasmin’s lifestyle begins to change; her inborn self assurance is knocked out of her, and at work she is treated more and more as an outsider. When her husband is arrested and imprisoned violently as part of the new anti-terrorism laws, her identity crisis grows. The injustice of this event forces her to reevaluate her face, culture and relationships. Archie Panjabi – well known from Bend It Like Beckham – plays a great role in this impressive social-political document that sketches how individual lives are polarised by events in world politics. Simon Beaufoy (known from The Full Monty) wrote an intelligent, balanced story with credible protagonists and supporting roles about racial conflict in today’s England; a story very relevant to the Netherlands now. (EH)