Review: EVERYWHERE & NOWHERE - Thought Provoking Coming-of-Age Drama
rating: 3
Director Menhaj Hudas controversial feature debut Kidulthood was met with mixed reviews upon its release back in 2006. The film, which followed a group of hedonistic teenagers as they ran riot around inner city London, was accused by some of glamorising violence, while others found its sense of realism refreshing. His latest offering, Everywhere & Nowhere, which he also wrote the screenplay for, once again focuses on youth culture in London. The film follows Ash and his friends Zaf (Adam Deacon), Jaz (Elyes Gabel) and Riz (Neet Mohan), as they each struggle to reconcile their multi-cultural life in Britain with their traditional Asian upbringing. Ash dreams of pursuing a career in music and discovers a talent for mixing classic Bollywood songs with contemporary hip-hop. When local DJ Ronnie (Simon Webbe) offers him the warm-up slot at his next gig, Ash jumps at the chance. Torn between his aspirations and his familys expectations that he will finish college and join the family business, he is frightened to tell his domineering older brother the truth and instead chooses to lead a secret double life. As Ash begins to question his identity and his future, his resentment towards his brother grows and threatens to pull the family apart.
Born in Bangladesh and then moved to the UK as a child, this is a subject close to the directors heart and was born out of a desire to bring a realistic portrayal of Asian youth to the big screen. Not the first film to broach the subject of identity and the difficulty of navigating a life where East clashes with West, there has been an array of British-Asian cinema based around this issue from Ayub Khan-Dins East is East to Gurinda Chadras Bend it Like Beckham. But while its predecessors often choose comedy as a means of communicating their message, Everywhere & Nowhere chooses to tackle the plight of second generation immigrants head on in a more serious take on the matter. That is not to say that it is without its funny moments but there are times when this occasionally borders on slapstick comedy. For example ladies man Jaz has been sleeping with a white girl for some time but abruptly calls it off when he gets bored using the excuse that his family would not approve of him seeing a non Muslim. She then turns up at a cricket match dressed head to toe in traditional Asian garb and confesses her love for him, declaring that she is going to convert and become a Muslim so that they can be together. While a moment like this would sit perfectly in East is East, here it seems to jar against the sense of realism and authenticity of the rest of the film. Much more effective is the humour and warmth created by the relationships of the characters, particularly through the relationship between Zaf and his father played by veteran actor Saeed Jaffrey. Elderly and infirm, Zaf looks after his father, making him dinner and tucking him up in bed at night, showing that there is more to his character than just his wide boy image. 
Huda is a skilled director known for his style and penchant for an impressive soundtrack and Everywhere & Nowhere does not disappoint. His ability to make you feel as if you are in the thick of it with the characters is most evident in the nightclub scenes, where camera angles and strobe lighting make the sense of intoxication and claustrophobia of the dance floor almost tangible. Well written characters are complimented by solid performances, most notably from newcomer James Floyd as the films protagonist. Unfortunately the story is let down in its attempt to deal with too many social issues over what is meant to be the course of just one weekend. Religious extremism, inter-racial relationships and self harm are all thrown in to the mix, quite haphazardly and without any real follow up, making it feel cluttered. However, it is obvious that its heart is in the right place and ultimately this is a thought provoking coming-of-age drama. Everywhere & Nowhere is released in the U.K. from today.