Although it is set in Calcutta and New York, "The Namesake" has considerable relevance in Northwest Indiana because so many of us are Americanized descendants of immigrants.

The values and expectations of parents raised in another culture often seem strange and restrictive to their children who become immersed in American life.

So it is in "The Namesake." Ashoke Ganguli (Irfan Khan) is a student of literature in the United States who is in India to visit family. He is lying on a bench reading Nikolai Gogol when the train crashes, and he is one of the few survivors.

A few years later, he is a professor who travels back to India for a marriage arranged by his parents. He brings his bride, Ashima (Tabu), to the United States, where she has her first experience with cold and loneliness.

When their son is born, they put the name Gogol on the birth certificate, planning to change it to his real name when they decide on one. When the boy is 4, they decide on Nikolai, but the little boy prefers the name he was given.

That choice is a marker of how things change over the decades.

When he graduates from high school, he decides that he'd rather be Nick (Kal Penn). To his friends, he confides that introducing himself to the co-eds at his college as Gogol Ganguli will end all possibilities of successful seduction. His father is disturbed by the change, but he does not forbid it.

Nick goes on to become a successful architect, engaged to Max (Jacinda Barrett), an art student and the daughter of wealthy native New Yorkers.

Then events take an unexpected turn, leading Nick to explore his relationship with his family, their past, their culture and his.

Directed by Harvard-educated Mira Nair, whose previous work includes "Salaam Bombay," "Mississippi Masala," "Monsoon Wedding" and "Vanity Fair," "The Namesake" is a multilayered film in which the characters of each generation reflect on where they have come from and what they have become.

The film's pace is contemplative -- some would say slow -- and its secrets and reflections on people and the love they share are spare and understated.

It is not for everyone's taste, and those who are tempted to see "Spider-Man 3" instead should probably do so.

But for those who value deeper understanding over high-voltage illumination, "The Namesake" is a moving experience.

Local veteran journalist Jim Gordon reviews movies for The Times. The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at jamgordo@iun.edu.

onScreen

"The Namesake"

Grade: A-

Starring: Kal Penn, Jacinda Barrett, Irfan Khan, Tabu

Director: Mira Nair

Rated: PG-13