The title of this movie has somehow always reminded me about those documentaries that Michael Moore used to make so I have never bothered watching it. More recently I however saw an interview with Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon which they gave for their new series on Apple TV+ called Little America. During that interview they also showed this small clip of The Big Sick.

So I spit out my tea and added the movie to my watch list and I guess it was fate because a couple of days later the movie was showing on BBC.

The Big Sick tells the story of how Kumail and Emily met, though they did make some small changes, most of it stays true to their lives, focusing on how Emily became ill and how Kumail stayed by her side even though her parents and Kumail’s parents did not approve of the relationship (initially). Throughout the movie we see how cultures can clash and how generational rules and traditions can cripple your own growth. For me this movie was like reliving my own early adulthood and how I met my significant other. We also have struggled with different cultures, parents not approving and a life and death situation due to sudden illness, but just like Kumail and Emily, we also have made it.

I really want to thank Kumail and Emily for telling us their story, for showing us a side which isn’t often depicted in (western) movies.