Ae Fond Kiss [2004] | ![Ae Fond Kiss [2004]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RVBXS5B9L._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Ken Loach
Actors: Shabana Bakhsh, Eva Birthistle, Emma Friel
Studio: Icon Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: £18.99
Buy New: £5.16
You Save: £13.83 (73%)
New (7) Used (8) from £3.48
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 32485
Format: Pal, Widescreen
Languages: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 7321900991988
ASIN: B0009IZR7Y
Theatrical Release Date: 2004
Release Date: July 11, 2005
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: IN STOCK. USUALLY DISPATCHED SAME OR NEXT WORKING DAY (MON - FRI). PLEASE ALLOW 3 - 6 DAYS FOR DELIVERY. BRAND NEW AND FULLY GUARANTEED BY A WELL ESTABLISHED TRUSTED LTD COMPANY. EMAIL DISPATCH CONFIRMATIONS SENT. TRACK PROGRESS 24/7
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 A catch-all take on multi-cultural Britain, not without it's problems, but touching nonetheless. November 28, 2007
Penelope (UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I admire the work of Ken Loach. Having grown up in Glasgow I find watching his films a painful mix of my recognition of a city still divided by social class and race, but also a strange joy that comes from watching the city depicted genuinely. No one could accuse Loach of soullessness; his films display it with abundance and his commitment to teasing out raw, provocative and compelling performances from his mixed casts of professionals, amateurs and rookie actors is testament to his skill. In person Loach appears to be a quiet, gentle, eccentrically dressed man, although these observations I hasten to add are founded on my one and only encounter with him at a meeting in 2003. I never actually spoke to him, but I got a sense of his political commitment to the social consciousness that seeps into his films. I was recently awe inspired by the bold `It's a Free World', partly because the acting was so transparent as to be almost the action of a very realistic warts and all documentary. Likewise the amazingly raw performance delivered by the unknown Martin Compston in `Sweet Sixteen' was jaw dropping. Often the stories surrounding his rookie actors are as interesting snap shops of life as the films he makes. Apparently Compston got the role in `Sweet Sixteen' because he was told to audition during a detention by a teacher who thought he ought to do something productive with himself. I suppose the rest they say is history. Similarly Atta Yaqub who features as Kasim in `Ae Fond Kiss' was allegedly spotted in a Glasgow based modelling agency. It just goes to show you could be unwittingly shopping on Buchanan Street in Glasgow and be plucked from obscurity by a wonderful director. And so to `Ae Fond Kiss'. On a raw emotional level this film hits you in all the right places, the cultural clashes of Kasim and Rosin's respective religious backgrounds highlights the racial divisions and prejudices (on both sides) that still exist in Britain. As is the case with most post-modern multi-cultural analysis of racial tensions and mixing cultures the emphasis is not on polemicist discourse, but rather on a balanced assessment of racial divisions. In this case then Karim faces the staunch objection of his Islamic family who are initially oblivious and then livid to find out that their son has been sleeping with a white girl. In turn Rosin, a young gifted music teacher faces criticism from the Catholic church who refuse to give her a reference for a teaching job in a Catholic school on the basis that she is having a relationship with a Muslim. The objections the lovers face are equally compelling, steeped in a prejudice often masqueraded as `tradition', but also utterly hopeless because at least with respect to Kasim's family one can understand his parent's disappointment. The penultimate scene when Kasim's father smashes up the extension he has lovingly constructed for his son and his wife-to-be by an arranged marriage is extremely upsetting because it captures the father's disappointment and Kasim's struggle to make his family recognise his love for Rosin. Unfortunately as with all catch-all, one story fits all narratives dealing with race in multi-cultural Britain the characterisation does slightly veer on the side of stereotype and caricature. Sometimes the means by which the complexities of racial divisions are dealt with are also rather naive. Take for example Kasim's sister's speech at the school assembly when she proudly proclaims she is a Glaswegian, Muslim girl, studying at a Catholic school, who is a supporter of Glasgow Rangers. On the surface a very powerful image of the so called `schizophrenic' identities of those living in the diaspora, however this was also a rather silly thing to say in a school probably largely made up of Celtic supporters. This aside `Ae Fond Kiss' is a touching love story, with genuine romance, good performances (particularly from Birthistle) and some powerful analysis of culture, race and religion in modern Britain.
 Brillant cinema. More please!!!! June 8, 2007
Ms. S. A. Ahsan (UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am a Spanish speaking, Muslim, Bangladeshi, English, Manchester girl, that has loved all of Ken Loach's Hispanic films (Pan y Rosas). This man really knows how to capture the heart and soul of humanity and penetrate the very essence of the diverse people he writes about. Ay Fond Kiss is a beautiful film - a boy meets girl story about a Pakistani boy who falls in love with a feisty Irish music teacher. They fall in love despite the religious and cultural divide. All his characters are touching and so real. The father and mother of Cassim despite their inability to understand Cassim's love are still such lovable recognisable characters. Ken Loach unlike so many film writer directors I can mention (who make Brit/Asian films) does not patronise or preach. He never tells a story from his map of the world - he tells it how it is. He one of the great film makers of our time. Thank you Ken!!! I sobbed several times it was so real. "Love and Hate" is also a good Brit/Asian film and worth a watch.
could be more convincing November 1, 2005
Stephen Newton (Manchester, England)
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
While the central romance could be more convincing, strong characterisation ensures this is an intelligent exploration of clashing cultures. Everyone is both principled and reasonable. An elder generation tries to keep community traditions alive; a priest tries to retain integrity; young lovers just want to get on.
Romeo and Juliet against racial divides October 1, 2005
davidstone28
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Good film (even though I'm not a fan of 'love' stories). The tension between two different racial cultures (Irish Catholic/White and Muslin/Pakistani) is particularly realistic. Good acting, good characterisation, good research into the racial issues, and well directed by Ken Loach. Some of the supporting characters (particularly the father) might seem like stereotypes but people like that do exist - he even reminds me of my father! 8/10The DVD has the film, blooper/outakes, director's commentary and 'The Making Of' documentary. Good value DVD.
Ae fond kiss before we sever May 13, 2005
Dorie
22 out of 22 found this review helpful
"Ae fond kiss" is the love story between a Catholic woman and a Muslim man in Glasgow. The title derives, as I assume many will know,from a Robert Burns poem in which the poet laments the loss of his beloved, and the fond kiss is the last kiss before parting.The love between Roisin and Casim is impossible, because his family expects him to marry his Pakistani cousin. Marrying Roisin is out of the question, and the prospect of it risks to sever Casim from his family forever. Casim is torn between his love for Roisin and love for his family. The handling of the conflict is very skilful, realistic and far from sentimental. We see both the heartbreak of Casim's family and that of the young couple, and we understand both. The scene where the disappointed father breaks the windows of the house extension he had built for his son and future daughter in law is tremendous and realistically portrayed. We are torn between our understanding of the father's feelings and the greater sympathy that the film creates for the young couple. Ultimately, we cannot bear the overt manipulation of Casim by his family and we want Casim to be with Roisin throughout. As foils for the young couple, we encounter Hammid, Casim's friend, who has been living with his Christian girlfriend for seven years, but finds marrying her impossible, and who tells Casim that his family is more important than some woman; his younger sister Tahara, who defies her parents and who tells Casim he is a hypocrite; and his sister Rukhsana who does all the right and appropriate things. Ultimately, Casim must choose between giving in to his family's wishes and being with Roisin. The film is about the dilemma of the second generation, torn between two identities, and how this affects both them and others who choose to be with them. It is beautifully acted, and beautifully filmed in Glasgow. Eva Birthistle is excellent in portraying the gentle, vulnerable, delicate, and at the same time, strong willed Roisin, and the young Shabana Baksh is wonderful as Casim's self-assertive, honest, straightforward, sister. They are both very likeable, as well as the driving forces behind the movie plot. This is a beautiful, realistic, and ultimately optimistic movie, with nothing overdone or overly dramatic about it, with characters and a plot you cannot remain indifferent to. I have seen it twice already, and I liked it even better upon a second viewing, as I appreciated better the family's manipulative ways, Roisin's vulnerability and her determination, Tahara's strong will and Casim's indecisiveness. This is one of the best Ken Loach films, and makes a wonderful addition to a DVD collection. Do buy it!
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