Three films, each about a strong, spirited woman who takes us along for the ride as she embarks on her path of self-discovery, highlight the Brattleboro Film Festival's commitment to feature characters often unseen in mainstream media. As we embrace their stories and struggles, we begin to care deeply about them. In these films, we see the possibilities that life offers these characters, and their personal journeys become our own.
In the wildly and internationally popular comedy English Vinglish, we travel to India to meet dedicated wife, mother, and entrepreneur Shashi, who finds herself insecure and embarrassed because of her poor English.
The story moves to New York where Shashi (played by Indian megastar Sridevi, whom some critics compare to Audrey Hepburn and whom other call the “Meryl Streep of India”) gathers her courage and secretly enrolls in an English class. We meet a quirky ESL teacher and a group of international students who help Shashi and one another overcome the idiosyncrasies of the language and rediscover their respective self-worth.
English Vinglish is the debut of writer-director Gauri Shinde, who was inspired to make the film by her own mother who, like Shashi, spoke no English.