ABCD

D: Krutin Patel; with Madhur Jaffrey, Faran Tahir, Sheetal Sheth, Aasif Mandvi, David Ari, Jennifer Dorr White. (35mm, 105 min.)

Cultural identification and loss figure strongly here in writer/director/producer Krutin Patel’s feature film debut, ABCD. ABCD revolves around Anju (Jaffrey), an Asian Indian immigrant living in the suburbs, and her first-generation adult children, Raj (Tahir) and Nina (Sheth). Anju is the stereotypical needling mom, nagging her children to sustain her Old World traditions; Raj and Nina’s reactions represent two extremes — unquestoning acceptance and violent rebellion. Raj is locked into a loveless arranged marriage, while Nina is just as trapped by her dogged (but unfulfilling) resistance to dating Indian men. ABCD itself tries to straddle the two conflicting worlds, but more compelling are the scenes in which Patel showcases his Indian roots. Renowned stage and screen actress (and bestselling cookbook author) Madhur Jaffrey excels as the mother who maybe loves a little too much. ABCD occasionally dips into melodrama, but Patel never lingers long there. Nicely shot at a gentle pace, and with a surprising, even unsettling conclusion that offers no easy answers, ABCD makes much of its complicated and culturally rich material. (Sat, Oct 14, 7:15pm, Dobie; Mon, Oct 16, 9:30pm, Dobie)

This article appears in October 13 • 2000.

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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...