Ae Fond Kiss . . . (2004, UK)

Ken Loach’s contemporary romance, Ae Fond Kiss . . . (the title is taken from a poem by Robert Burns), takes material that is by this point familiar territory for many filmgoers – the struggle for South Asians to be recognized and respected in the United Kingdom – and narrows the focus tightly, so as to make the story feel fresh and unique.

Casim (newcomer Atta Yaqub) is a first-generation Scot of Pakistani decent, attempting to balance his personal needs with his family’s strict values. When he meets Roisin (Eva Birthistle), an Irish-Catholic music teacher at his sister’s school, their awkward friendship quickly turns into an affair, horrifying Casim’s Muslim community and endangering Roisin’s job.

Yaqub and Birthistle are not particularly accomplished actors, but their chemistry, and the quiet way in which Loach folds their external difficulties into their relationship, makes them an utterly compelling pair. In some ways, Kiss can be seen as the inverse of Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding. In that film, the director widens her scope, expanding to take every character, no matter how seemingly inconsequential, into account. In contrast, Loach chooses to pinpoint his view, making Casim and Roisin the only figures of true importance. Interestingly, the results of these very different tactics are actually quite similar – both directors end up presenting fresh views of what are essentially very conventional stories of love and family.