Grade: B/B-
Entire family: No
Drama
2019, 118 min., Color
Rated PG-13 for thematic material and language, including ethnic slurs
Warner Bros.
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Featured audio: Dolby Atmos-TrueHD
Bonus features: B-
Includes: Blu-ray, Digital
Trailer
Amazon link

Just as you’d better like Abba if you’re going to enjoy Mamma Mia!, you almost need to be a Bruce Springsteen fan (or willing convert) to appreciate this music-filled drama from director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham, Bride & Prejudice).

Set in a small British town in 1987, Blinded by the Light features wall-to-wall Springsteen, with only a few exceptions. Included here are The Boss’s “Dancing in the Dark,” “The River,” “Badlands,” “Cover Me,” “Thunder Road,” “Prove It All Night,” “Hungry Heart,” “Because the Night,” “The Promised Land,” “Born to Run,” “I’ll Stand by You,” and the film’s title song. The soundtrack is meant to feel like an extended Springsteen play list that takes us into the mind of a Pakistani teenager as he listens to his Walkman throughout much of the film. But it’s not just the music. The lyrics also appear onscreen in numerous scenes, artfully arranged in superscript to emphasize the impact that Springsteen’s words have on a main character who wants to become a writer and struggles under the burden of a strict, controlling father and hostile community.

It’s no secret that music has a transformative power, capable of inspiring, soothing, even redeeming listeners, and Javed’s story resonates because of that. Based on co-writer Sarfraz Manzoor’s life, Javed’s struggles are also uncomfortably familiar.

Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s British nationalism sparked a white nationalist backlash against immigrants—Pakistanis especially—and it’s difficult if not impossible to watch Blinded by the Light and not think of the current state of affairs in America. Because Luton is a very small town, Pakistanis feel the white nationalist anger more acutely. “Pakis go home” graffiti is everywhere. Neighborhood children urinate through the mail slot of one family’s door. White nationalist demonstrators walk the streets and pummel counter-protesters, and the main character, Javed (Viveik Kalra), is threatened by a menacing white male, forcing him to seek refuge in the home of a white male friend who shares his love of music.

That’s the milieu complicating the life of a teenager who has it hard enough just trying to negotiate typical teen dramas—like the halls and lunchroom of his school, school activities, and encounters with the opposite sex (including a major crush). His life changes when the only other South Asian student in his class befriends him and loans him two Springsteen tapes. His life also takes an upturn because of an English teacher (Hayley Atwell) who champions him and his writing—which he does in relative secret from his parents. In his father’s eyes, if he’s not spending his time earning money to help them get through tough times, he’s not spending his time wisely.

In a way, we’ve seen this story before in films like Billy Elliott, where dance, not writing, was the boy’s dream and his journey was also entwined with one his father had to make, from resistance to acceptance. Still, Blinded by the Light is a solid film, and one that can lead to a lot of discussion. As with so many things, though, a strength can turn into a weakness. There comes a time when the whole “inspired by Springsteen” and “must live my life like Springsteen” gets a little old, which leads me to wonder if the film might have been stronger if it had been edited to clock in at 98 minutes instead of 118. Just sayin’.

Language: Mild compared to most movies today, with Brit versions of swearwords (wanker, crap, fricking, shite, etc.) and a repeated racial slur (Packis)

Sex: Nothing here except a kiss

Violence: A character is bruised on the head, and there are other instances of bullying, but not much in the way of actual physical violence

Adult situations: Teens throw a party that’s seen from the outside, while inside we see suppressed teens letting it all hang out at a rave; later Javed is poured wine though the host knows it’s against his Muslim religion

Takeaway: It’s good to get another film from Chadha, who isn’t afraid to explore emotion in her stories and has a knack for detailing cross-cultural experiences without getting too preachy or maudlin