Ae Fond Kiss... (2004)

Director:

Ken Loach

Writer:

Paul Laverty (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 July 2004 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Sparks fly in Glasgow's south side when a young Pakistani man enters into a relationship with a Caucasian woman.

Plot Keywords:

Pakistani | Priest | Music Teacher | Glasgow Scotland | Bare Breasts

Awards:

7 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Atta Yaqub	...	Casim Khan
Eva Birthistle	...	Roisin Hanlon
Ahmad Riaz	...	Tariq Khan
Shamshad Akhtar	...	Sadia Khan
Shabana Akhtar Bakhsh	...	Tahara Khan (as Shabana Bakhsh)
Ghizala Avan	...	Rukhsana Khan
David McKay	...	Wee Roddie
Raymond Mearns	...	Big Roddie
Gary Lewis	...	Danny
Shy Ramsan	...	Hamid
Emma Friel	...	Annie
Karen Fraser	...	Elsie
John Yule	...	Headmaster
Ruth McGhie	...	Mary Nolan
Father David Wallace	...	Father David

Also Known As:

A Fond Kiss... (International: English title) (alternative spelling)
Just a Kiss (Europe: English title)
Sólo un beso (Spain)
Un bacio appassionato (Italy)
Un beso (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong sexuality and language.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

UK | Belgium | Germany | Italy | Spain

Language:

English | Punjabi

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Brazil:16 | Spain:13 | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Italy:T | Singapore:R21 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Norway:15 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Company:

Bianca Film

Trivia:

Contrary to what he states, the sweet dish Casim serves Roisin is 'Ras Gulla', not 'Gulab Jabun'.

Quotes:

Casim Khan: I can't match you, Roisin.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Telma demain (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Viaduct

Quite wonderful

Ae Fond Kiss is Ken Loach's latest movie. It's a movie with that classic basic premise: a woman and a man from different cultures fall in love. Will their love survive what other people think and do? It's a premise we've seen a million times before. But that doesn't make Ae Fond Kiss a bad movie. No, quite the opposite: I think it's wonderful.

First of all, I think the script is amazing. While Casim's family probably is the biggest obstacle for the young couple to overcome, this is by no means a movie which portrays only the Moslems as the bad guys. Roisin's Catholic society isn't much better. This is one of the reasons why the movie is so engaging.

Another reason why I really liked this film is the fantastic performances by all the actors. Eva Birthistle is certainly the standout, but it would be unfair to name any other actor before the others. In short, it's a great cast.

Ae Fond Kiss is a well-played, sweet and very engaging movie. I liked it a lot. It's even a bit better than Loach's Sweet Sixteen. (8/10)