Perhaps it was the “I feel like I’ve seen this before” factor, but ‘Blinded By The Light’ just didn’t resonate. It lacked the humour, the heart and the finesse of Chadha’s previous films, and therefore it falls short. - Jess Fenton Read Jess' full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-blinded-by-the-light-the-spiritual-sequel-to-bend-it-like-beckham Head to https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/sff for more Sydney Film Festival reviews.

A gentle, funny, story about a lad whose outlook on life is totally transformed after his pal introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen. Viveik Kalra is on engaging form as the young "Javed" as is Dean-Charles Chapman as his aggrieved mate "Matt" and the music serves as a memorable narrative for a coming-of-age tale set against a backdrop of racism, bigotry, hormones and angst. It reminded me of late 80's Britain when you did actually have to queue up in one of the many (now long gone) record stores to get your tickets for a concert - sometimes at 00:01 in the morning. Look out for "Peggy Carter" as his teacher.