MovieChat Forums > East Is East (2000) Discussion > Sad how they treated the gay brother

Sad how they treated the gay brother

posted 15 years ago by ducdebrabant
12 replies | jump to latest

Tariq actually went home again rather than stay with his gay brother and the brother's very nice boyfriend. Considering the way Tariq himself was a square peg being hammered into a round hole, it would be nice if he could have empathized a bit with his brother's situation as a homosexual. His reaction may have been typical for Salford in the 70's (or now) but it would have been nice it had been less typical. In fact, that is all left hanging. I don't know if any of them saw their brother again. The father may have changed, but we don't know that he wouldn't have committed an honor killing over that. After all, he threatened both his wife and one of his sons with death.

First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. Gandhi.

[–] avia2 14 years ago

Well as you stated, it's a shame how the gay brother was treated but this was the 1970s when even London was hardly gay-friendly, let alone Salford.

[–] coney_island_baby 14 years ago

I always got the impression it was the brother driving them all back; he couldn't possibly have kept all of them with him in London and knew it was better to take them home.

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[–] angelexposed 14 years ago

Tariq had second thoughts about staying with his brother once he discovered about the homosexuality - but then it wasn't something that he'd had very little time to consider.

I don't think they really treated him all that bad.

And yes, it was definitely Nazir's idea to go back and "sort his dad" out...however, it was Ella's confirmation that it would just make things worse that chased Nazir off again.

[–] kmc-4 11 years ago

I agree with all of this. I don't think they treated him badly at all, and he tried to support them by going to stand up to their dad on their behalf.

[–] avia2 14 years ago

As u wrote, Tariq's reaction is more realistic than if he'd been tolerant...
... but it's the realism that makes this film so good.

[–] sajmeister2000 14 years ago

It was the 70s even cities like Brighton and London would not have been so tolerant with gays and lesbians at that time. The father may have threatened them with death but I don't know if he would have gone along with it, as long as the other son is nowehere to be seen around him he is happy to say that son is dead.

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[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bonniehudson 12 years ago

Nazir is mentioned again in West is West though so they see him again. I think Tariq runs a shop with him :)

[–] angelexposed 11 years ago

Tariq either owned his own shop or worked there for someone else. The shop didn't seem like the kind of place Nazir had been working in when we had last seen him. I was glad to see Tariq had his own life and was out of the house and from under his dad's ruling thumb though.

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We've become a race of peeping toms.

[–] bonniehudson 11 years ago

I seem to remember Tariq telling Saajid that Nazir was out getting stock, so I think that means they worked together :) Seems strange to get stock for a shop you don't work in.

[–] freebird1987 8 years ago

Yes, Nazir and Tariq worked at the shop together.

[–] Rockstardollbaby 11 years ago

I would've liked to see more of this storyline. I was looking forward to that confrontation.