This afternoon, I spent about an hour searching Google Images for a picture of teenage Moushumi. I could not find a single picture, which was a bit disappointing, as I wanted to post one along with my blog entry. I guess it is better without adolescent Moushumi. I would hate for my blog to make your eyeballs fall out of their sockets. In fact, I wish the filmmakers could have given us a little heads up about Moushumi. The following film is rated PG-13 for: drug use, brief language, disturbing images, and Moushumi. Along with Moushumi, I found many aspects of the film The Namesake to be quite eye-opening.
TOP 10 EYE-OPENING MOMENTS OF THE FILM THE NAMESAKE:
1. The face that we got a short glimpse of when Ms. Serensky turned on the movie for the first time. After that preview, I feared what was to come...
2. Teenage Gogol: After looking at him for the first time, I felt a bit of shock. I could not quite pinpoint why Gogol struck me as so odd looking. Then, Katie Connolly pointed out: "He's 35! You can't just give him long, greasy hair and say he's a teenager." That was it.
3. MOUSHUMI: Is it just me, or does she have a slight mustache?
4. The sudden transformation of Gogol from adolescence to adulthood. I feared Gogol would never cut and comb his hair. That he would be walking the streets of New York City as an adult with a knee-long hair. It seemed to be past his shoulders already when he graduated from high school, so it was getting there...
5. Ashima's Breakfast: Maybe it tasted better than it looked.
6. Gogol and Moushumi's Wedding: I have never seen a Bengali wedding before, so it was a bit of a shock when all of the people at the wedding were jumping up and down and sticking out their tongues.
7. Gogol's hair style: Obviously a fan of the tousled look.
8. The number of lines in the film that are a different variation of "hmm." When Maxine greets Ashima, she says "hmm." When Ashoke gives Gogol his graduation gift, he says "hmmm." Many different variations of "hmm" seem to appear in the subtitles, including the "hm" with one m, the "hmm" with two m's, and the "hmmm" with three or more m's. Exciting dialogue, huh?
9. Gogol's reaction to the Taj Mahal. I never knew visiting the Taj Mahal elicited such strange facial expressions. But then again, I have never visited the Taj Mahal, so I would not know.
10. Sonia's high school wardrobe: I happened to notice Sonia's eclectic wardrobe during the film, though Gogol's long hair seemed to steal the show.
I don't quite know why, but the strangest of films seem to entertain me the most. I do not know how much more my eyes can handle the sight of adolescent Moushumi, so I might not watch the movie ever again. On the other hand, I appreciate the laughter it has brought me over the past three days.
Thank you Sarah, for such an amusing blog post! I especially liked the way you noted the frequent use of hmms throughout the film, it illustrates the family’s lack of communication, or the film writer’s sheer laziness, your call. I would add how often the subtitles described the character’s “chuckling.” The Gangulis love to chuckle and nothing else—never laugh, chortle, or giggle. When I read The Namesake I did not pick up on all the supposed humor.
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