European Films

Ae fond kiss, and then we sever; Ae fareweel, alas, for ever!
Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee.
Who shall say that Fortune grieves him,
While the star of hope she leaves him?
Me, nae cheerful twinkle lights me;
Dark despair around benights me.        
-Robert Burns, 1791

Ae fond kiss... are the first couple of words of a song by Robert Burns, a Scottish poet not much appreciated by a Glaswegian school-official of today, who tells the music-teacher Roisin (Eva Birthistle) that the words of an oft-drunk, fornicating poet are really not acceptable in a Catholic school. The movie in which these characters exist is also called Ae Fond Kiss... in its country of origin, the UK, though the rest of Europe will have to make do with the less poetic Just a Kiss, discarding the obvious reference to the Burns song that is also part of the soundtrack.  

The movie tells the story of Roisin, an Irish gal teaching music in Glasgow, and her blooming relationship with a second-generation Pakistani immigrant called Casim (Atta Yaqub). They meet when Casim, who has already obtained a university degree, tries to defend his little sister Tahara (Shabana Bakhsh) from a couple of bullies at her secondary school. They finally find refuge in Roisin’s classroom, and thus the futures of Casim and Roisin start to become entwined.

The story focuses on the blossoming relationship between the two, which starts of like pretty much any infatuation. Things become more complicated when Roisin confesses she is actually still married, though she does not live with her husband anymore; she got married at 19 without really knowing what she was doing and she has lived separately for a long time, though she has never actually got divorced.Casim also has a confession to make, though he finds it more difficult to do so than Roisin, because it concerns not his past but his future: he is all set to wed his first cousin Jasmine, still in Pakistan, in nine weeks. These two marriage-problems are at the centre of the film. The arranged marriage of Casim is something that cannot be cancelled; arranged marriages in the Pakistani community are a cultural tradition and are important for the family’s honour and standing. Roisin’s marriage is a problem for her because the school-inspection of the Catholic school she works for disapproves of marriages that only exist on paper and it could be a valid cause for firing her.

Director Ken Loach and screenwriter Paul Laverty (who previously collaborated on 2002’s Sweet Sixteen) show that culture and religion, though an integral part of many people’s lives, can cause hindrances to things that clearly should  happen. Casim knows he could never show up at home with any other girl, much less a non-Pakistani. Roisin is the best music-teacher the school has ever had, though because her private life does not correspond to the Catholic standards set, she could lose her job. As viewers, we can clearly see that Roisin and Casim should be together, despite their differences. But being from two different worlds and reconciling the two is not as easy as it seems.

Newcomer Atta Yaqub portrays Casim as a very affable, likable young man. We instantly warm to him, even though he sometimes seems to say things that perhaps he should not. Eva Birthistle, as the piano-teacher, is a tough woman, who has no family anymore, a marriage that has gone down the drain and yet she is the best music-teacher the school has ever seen; she is clearly a top-class survivor. First, they both seem a little apprehensive in each other’s presence, but soon the passion hits them and cements their relationship, even though outside forces keep pulling them apart. Both actors do a terrific job of being real, and the wonderfully normal dialogue and non-obtrusive camera-work add to the feeling we are watching some of our friends, rather than two cinematic constructs. Ae Fond Kiss..., as the recent Spanish film Te doy mis ojos (Take My Eyes),  has the realism many films vie for, though few seem able to obtain. Loach's film has zero special effects, is not a sappy love-story about two people having to overcome carefully placed obstacles in order to be together, but offers us instead a slice of life that is truly wonderful in all its simplicity and realism. Ae Fond Kiss... ranks among the years best and should be an example for many filmmakers on how to get in touch with reality.

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