I just watched Deepa Mehta’s movie Heaven on Earth and was really blown away. The movie chronicles a young Indian woman’s journey to Toronto, Canada to live with her new husband and extended family. The marriage is arranged and clearly an inconvenience for the husband. The husband lives with his mother and father, sister and brother-in-law, niece and nephew in a small house.

 

Mother is the matriarch and essentially a domineering bitter old woman who controls the people around her while her son is repressed and filled with anger. Unfortunately his new Indian bride bears the brunt of his anger as he beats her and attempts to control her. Her mother-in-law treats her terribly as does her sister-in-law.

 

The narrative is really quite brilliant and woven into the story is an Indian myth that the young bride recites herself as her mother did to her when she was home in India. The myth is a comfort to her and becomes personified in the movie helping to bring about the conclusion. Really a very powerful and emotional film artfully done.

 

Mehta has directed a number of movies, notably Hollywood/Bollywood an Indian/North American crossover that did quite well. As the director Mehta uses the film as a vehicle to present the plight of immigrant families to Canada and the cultural pressure between generations as well as the plight of women in general, pressure on men of other cultures and the growing resentment between immigrant children born in Canada and their parents and grandparents who struggle to keep mother country traditions. There is also a peek into inter-cultural clash between immigrant communities.

 

Overall a powerful film with a strong story and message. Not everyone will enjoy the movie as it blends Indian and North American influences (as Mehta does in most of her films). I think it acheives its aims quite remarkably but many North American viewers may find the movie boring because it is very story driven.

 

I highly recommend it and would love to hear your impressions (good or bad) if and when you see it. It is available for rental. Please note that the movie is subtitled with English.