Themes

Identity 

An important theme in the film East is East (1999) directed by Damien O'Donnell is identity.

The Khan children struggle to find their identity while under opposing influences. Under the influence of their environment, they listen to modern music, dress in western clothes, participate in the same activities as the other children and mingle with their school colleagues and neighbors. Most of the children, with the exception of Maneer, seem to tie their identity to the Western way of life . Since they have been born and raised in England, and their mother is English, they want to live in a Western society and fit in. Their hobbies, as well as likes and dislikes resemble those of other children their own age from the same environment, regardless of their race.

However, the Khan children are also subjected to George’s traditional influence. George tries to impose on them a traditional lifestyle, clothes, and a way of life which is entirely different from what they see around them. Their father forces them to conform to old-fashioned norms and traditions which they perceive as alien to themselves. This leads to a conflict between George and his children, as the children reject the identity which George wants to impose on them. While watching Enoch Powell on tv, Tariq remarks that they could have George repatriated and Saleem laughs in agreement. Sajid also refers to the Pakistani as “them”: when they drive on the streets of Bradford, he remarks that “there’s hundreds of them” (00:33:25-00:33:26). This shows that the Khan children do not identify as Pakistani at all, at least at this stage in their lives.

It is worth noting that, while the children tend to reject Pakistani influences, there is still ...