Bittersweet: Asian Indian Experience In The USA

The social and cultural history and experiences of South Asians in the United States are definitely fertile territory for videographers and filmmakers. Outside of a few excellent older documentary works, such as Mira Nair's So Far From India, and Prajnaparamita Parasher and Deb Ellis' Unbidden Voices, and the feature films Mississippi Masala (Mira Nair, again) and Srinivas Krishna's thoroughly strange Masala, few films have dealt with the personal and community lives of East Indian immigrants in the U.S. It is consequently a considerable disappointment that Bittersweet is such a weak and unedifying work. From fairly early on, it's clear that this is a work with STUDENT FILM written all over it--a film much more informed by TV ‘technique' than by a solid grasp of narrative film style. Desultory interviews with students, academics, and a seemingly random handful of other first and second generation Indian immigrants are cobbled together, along with unconvincing and woodenly scripted dialog pieces (spoken over monotonous visuals). The discussions lurch rather precariously from student complaints about the strict dating rules and "Old Country" ways of their parents; to meditations on ethnic identity, gender issues, and "going home again;" to an interesting discourse on the nature of the Indian community solidarity in the US. Unfortunately, the film never settles on a clear topical focus, a defined point of view, or a unifying visual style. Lacking these basics, the viewer comes away with few concrete insights regarding either the individuals or the community being documented. Despite these serious problems, Bittersweet could be useful for larger public library or school collections, simply because of its attempt to deal with the experiences of both young and older members of the Indian community. Aud: H, C, P. (G. Handman)