Blinded by the Light

Blinded by the Light is a 2019 comedy-drama set in 1987 in Luton, England. Javed is a British teenager of Pakistani descent, a quiet boy who writes poetry as an escape from the racism around him and from the strict expectations of his traditional father. When a classmate introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen, the lyrics seem to describe his own life in a working-class town, and this discovery pushes him to express himself and to see his family differently.

The film was directed by Gurinder Chadha, who wrote the screenplay with Paul Mayeda Berges and Sarfraz Manzoor, and who also produced it. It follows six earlier features she directed, among them Bend It Like Beckham and Viceroy's House, and precedes Christmas Karma. Viveik Kalra plays Javed, with Nell Williams as Eliza, Hayley Atwell as Ms Clay, Kulvinder Ghir as Malik, Aaron Phagura as Roops and Dean-Charles Chapman as Matt.

Made for about 8 million dollars, the film took roughly 18 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.9 out of 10 from around 28,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.9 out of 10 from some 600 votes. A critics' rating of 7.3 out of 10 from 261 reviews places it somewhat above those audience scores.