There's a bond created here. A bond of opposites who come together by chance and realize that their friendship it's something deeper than just two older women getting together over it. Deborah Kerr and Madhur Jaffrey are complete opposites it seems when they first meet. Kerr is your typical cranky older woman, ordering kids off her property who simply want to save time by ducking through rather than using the road which would take three times as long. When she meets Jaffrey, the connection is not instant. Jaffrey's husband is ill and She needs to get a doctor out to see him. It is obvious that even in 1980's England, the class system would keep an Indian immigrant from getting medical treatment while Kerr would get 8 immediately. Kerr reluctantly agrees, and over a period of time, the two women create a bond, first over Kerr's lovely garden, and later over their disappointments of life and aging.
For Jaffrey, it seems that her biggest concern is the ungrateful daughter in law she does not get along with, one rejecting old Indian traditions and basically being disrespectful to her in-laws for keeping them alive. It is obvious that this daughter-in-law keeps her husband under her thumb, even though she is always polite when seen on screen. We only learn about what she is up to through Jafferey's conversations with Kerr. As for her son, he is ultra polite, very interested in what Kerr has to say when she pays a visit, yet unable to stand up to his wife to defend his parents. It is sad to watch this occur, but unfortunately, that storyline is never developed.
This film is basically a character study of two women of different cultures finding something in common and learning that true friendship is a bond that time, space and cultural differences cannot destroy. It is nice to watch Kerr lighten up as the film goes on and she must deal with her individual financial issues left behind because of her beloved husband's death. Both women give very good performances, and at times it seems like they are reacting as people would in a real setting rather than just by reading a script. Neither woman is a saint, and both get to show the flaws deep inside their soul. It is an interesting film but it just seems that something is missing. The garden, however, is gorgeous, and certainly Kerr's character had every right to be proud of it and want the legacy of what she and her husband created to survive.
For Jaffrey, it seems that her biggest concern is the ungrateful daughter in law she does not get along with, one rejecting old Indian traditions and basically being disrespectful to her in-laws for keeping them alive. It is obvious that this daughter-in-law keeps her husband under her thumb, even though she is always polite when seen on screen. We only learn about what she is up to through Jafferey's conversations with Kerr. As for her son, he is ultra polite, very interested in what Kerr has to say when she pays a visit, yet unable to stand up to his wife to defend his parents. It is sad to watch this occur, but unfortunately, that storyline is never developed.
This film is basically a character study of two women of different cultures finding something in common and learning that true friendship is a bond that time, space and cultural differences cannot destroy. It is nice to watch Kerr lighten up as the film goes on and she must deal with her individual financial issues left behind because of her beloved husband's death. Both women give very good performances, and at times it seems like they are reacting as people would in a real setting rather than just by reading a script. Neither woman is a saint, and both get to show the flaws deep inside their soul. It is an interesting film but it just seems that something is missing. The garden, however, is gorgeous, and certainly Kerr's character had every right to be proud of it and want the legacy of what she and her husband created to survive.