Broadway Danny Rose (1984)

Broadway Danny Rose (1984)

Written and Directed by: Woody Allen
Starring: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow

I really enjoyed this because it's been a while since I watched a Woody Allen film. This film has some classic trademarks of a Woody Allen film - an amazingly written woman, Tina - she's introduced a while into the film and one of the best qualities of Allen's writing is that - he doesn't take more than 5 minutes to introduce a character no matter how layered and sub-textual it is. Even in this film, Tina is such an elusive, interesting character - but you see her for 5 minutes and you feel like you know this person. You start to feel character consistency and yet he maintains that mystery so that we have something to unfold as the film progresses. The film is set in Broadway and Gordon Willis - the legendary cinematographer - beautifully captures the world shooting most of the scenes in deep focus. Tina is an absolute stunner of a character - right from her hair, her styling to her body language to the way she talks - a beautifully designed character. 

I like how the story is narrated - I've never seen this before. A bunch of friends meet at a cafe, and one of them is narrating the story of Danny Rose to his friends. So in a way, the entire film is just part of an evening conversation. Imagine having such evenings every once in a while, listening to different stories of people, having a few laughs. It's beautiful. Even in this film, I think the "plot" - the gangsters chasing them is just a thin tool to keep the film going. But the film in its core is the conversations and the jokes. I like how the film gets to a point of low when Danny Rose is fired, and then the film gets back with the climax. A perfect Woody Allen outing this is!

Kilometers and Kilometers (2020)

Kilometers and Kilometers (2020)

Written and Directed by: Jeo Baby
Starring: Tovino Thomas, Joju George

Streaming on Netflix. 

I was intrigued right when I saw that this film was made by Jeo Baby, the writer-director of the terrific 'Great Indian Kitchen'. It's a beautiful, slice-of-life film that'd put a smile on your face throughout the time you're watching the film. The beauty of the film is its simplicity. It's a very simple premise, simple conflicts and it has its structure in place - and hence since it has these things in place, the film simply flows with music, dialogue, comedy. I find it so liberating as a writer when you have a base structure in place, because then you can play within the scenes however you want to. Just as Josemon is about to sell his bike for money, he finds a foreigner who wants to tour India on a bike and is ready to pay good money for it. A perfect fit for each other. He then takes her on a trip, some traveling, cultural differences, a few moments of getting along and a few moments of differences later, they lose all their belongings. This conflict feels like such an excuse to keep the audience hooked to make them watch the rest of the film.

I like how the film plays with comedy - the India vs America debates and fights. All of it is in light spirits. I like how the dynamics change after they lose their belongings - 'massage continue' was so cute and hilarious. Part of me was wishing that the romance was slightly more modern, it would've been more fun to watch. But part of me felt that this was sweet too, because if Josemon was a character who was capable of flirting with her - it'd have gotten weird. I think they kept the romance old school to keep him accessible to the audience and also to explore cultural differences too.

If Beale Street Could Talk

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

Written for the Screen and Directed by: Barry Jenkins

Based on a book of the same name by James Baldwin
Streaming on Netflix. 

It's a film about a black man who is falsely accused of rape and is arrested. It's a story we've seen quite a few times. But what makes this film really good is the treatment, the style and the tone of it. It has a non-linear narrative and the screenplay becomes a lot more fun because of this. Above everything, the aspect that I loved the most about this film is - the film is a lot more than the social aspect of it. The film has a lot of heart. It's treated as a heartbreaking love story. Hence, it works on a human level. I think any film which has a social voice - if it works irrespective of the voice - then the social voice has a chance of getting across to a larger group of audience. If the film doesn't work on a human level, perhaps the people who've gone through such experiences might relate to it and not the others. But now, since it works on a human level, someone sitting in Hyderabad whose life is not affected one bit by racism in the US is feeling for it.

I like how Barry Jenkins tells stories about relationships, feelings set in dramatic socio-political settings. The way the voice over is used to describe their feelings. The film goes deep, to a granular level to show us how the characters feel about each other. Love is a basic, universal feeling - but the way he gets specific about every thought and detail of the feeling - it becomes very interesting. The montage of where she describes about how every kick inside makes her lose control and they show simple examples from daily life to show it - and it's very sweet to see such storytelling. All the actors in the film were terrific - even their emptiness had a lot of depth and intensity. I loved watching this film. 

CODA (2021)

CODA (2021)

Screenplay, Direction by: Sian Heder

Starring: Emilia Jones

Won the Oscar for Best Picture, Won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

This film has the heart of a good PIXAR film and it's made with the aesthetics of a good Hirokazu Kore-eda film. It's a beautiful story about Rubi Ross - the only hearing member of a deaf family. They fish for a living and the family depends a lot on her for interpretation because she's the only one who can hear. Although conflict arises when she wants to go to college and live her own life. The family one day gets into trouble because she takes a break and has some fun - after not having a life for a long time. And the family blames her for that. It's a very tricky situation - should she tell her family to fend for themselves and live her own life? Because at the end of the day, she has to move out. Or should she be there for her family? Doesn't she owe their family that much? All these are situations which define character. Rubi is such an endearing character simply because she chooses to be there for her family even though it's not as much fun. 

As the film was done, when finally Rubi was moving out and heading to college, I felt as if I met Rubi in college and she was telling me her life story and about where she came from. It just got me thinking about how deep stories every other person would have within them. Because the way the entire film is shot, it captures a world beautifully. It's shot in deep focus, and the world of fishing, the boats, all of it is visually distinct. I absolutely loved the performances of all the actors - especially the girl who played Rubi - she captured an angst, a sense of vulnerability buried deep in her heart, and yet a lot of heart and compassion. I really enjoyed some of the humor where she translates differently just for the fun of it. Overall, it's a beautiful, heartwarming movie that I really enjoyed watching. 

Kayamai Kadakka

Kayamai Kadakka (2021)

Written, Directed, Edited & Produced by: Kiran R
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Spoilers Ahead.

It's a minimalist film made on a shoestring budget - but never do you feel so, because of the way it's beautifully written and executed. I like how the film has a lot to unpeel. The outermost layer, I'd say is about hypocrisy - the way we say things but don't really do what we say. And then the next layer is about justice, and the ideas of vigilantism. And the next layer, my favorite part, it's a mystery thriller. I'm not a big fan of films with pro-vigilante ideas, because I personally don't believe that death sentence is the solution to any kind of crime, let alone rape. But that's just my opinions out of very limited knowledge that I have. But this film works as a thriller, with interesting twists and turns. That's what I love about films like this - which have a social voice, but also work irrespective of that. I think films like this will inspire change, and not films which have their worldview shoved down our throats right from the first frame of the film. 

The play with the multiple personality disorder was very interesting - and that was a really nice tool to keep us hooked. Also it'd work because the film can be shot with lesser actors. I like these kind of films - which are very contained, and yet they hold our attention throughout. I was reminded of films like Lens, Pizza, D-16, Hush, Run, etc. They're super fun to watch. I liked the meter where the actors were performing, it was very subdued and sometimes I feel like it works better like this. It's the same case with background score - sometimes an overtly sad music over a sad scene becomes an overdo. And sometimes silence hits better. Just like that, I think in the film the subdued performances added a lot to keep us hooked.

Eternally Confused and Eager for Love

Eternally Confused and Eager for Love (2022)

Created, Written and Directed by: Rahul Nair
Produced by: Tiger Baby & Excel Entertainment
Streaming on Netflix.

It's a beautiful show - it not only captures the world, the people and the vibe of modern relationships - but it also captures feelings like self doubt, vulnerability, desperation for love. We are not trained to deal with relationships, our earlier generations mostly found mates through arranged marriages and now that everything has opened up - marriage, a serious relationship, a casual relationship, friends with benefits, a one time thing - there is a plethora of options and we find ourselves juggling between our preferences. A streak of failures makes us feel that we don't know what we want, and hence we end up distancing ourselves emotionally from relationships from any kind to not mess up further. The show captures all of this beautifully through plot. Ray is such an endearing and relatable character, because end of the day, he wants to be loved. And wanting to be loved is not like asking for a private jet. It's one of the basics in life. But I like how they didn't dramatize his desperation to be loved with a dysfunctional family - by looking at his parents - I don't think he'd have had a traumatic childhood. So in this case, the stakes are relatively lower. Which is why it's in the light-hearted space. 

I love what he feels about his friend Riya. He's not sure. He likes her. It's not like he loves her, but he wouldn't mind. His fear of ending up alone is so much that he asks her that if both of them are single by the time they're 40 - they'd get married - it's like 'fine, I can at least count on this possibility'. I loved the entire track of the old toy and the voice in his head. I think it's beautiful depiction of anxiety and self doubt. I think the cause of all the anxiety is mostly because of societal expectations of dating - I saw a question on Reddit that asked, 'why are you single?' and a response to that was, 'we are all born single and if we happen to find a partner we do, but we are all otherwise single by default'.

RRR

Spoilers Alert.

Every time it’s an S. S. Rajamouli film, I feel so overwhelmed with emotions. It takes a while to get back to normalcy. It’s a similar feeling one would get from the freefall in skydiving, which typically lasts for 60 seconds. What if you sustain that feeling for 3 hours? That’s an S. S. Rajamouli film.

I love how the film is introduced in 3 steps – the story, the fire and the water. The film right away jumps into the story with the opening sequence. And then the two terrific action sequences – the introduction of both the characters which are shot and choreographed beautifully – I was going ‘how did they pull this off’ in so many shots – and this rare feeling is what keeps the magic of cinema on.

And then the masterstroke – where they bring all the 3 R’s together, the story, the fire and the water. When the boy had to be saved, I had goosebumps. I could see the film unfolding right there. This is where two people who have opposite motivations, become friends because they are in disguise. And the way this scene was choreographed – I was spell bounded. And then the title card, RRR. And then they both jump into water and Dosti kicks in. I was in tears – and the film just started. Just Rajamouli things.

The interval sequence, okay, okay, okay. I remember feeling ‘nice’, ‘amazing’, ‘wow’ after watching some beautifully composed shots in some films. But I don’t remember going “WHAT THE FLYING FUCK!” after looking at any frame in any film ever. The shot where the animals fly out of the truck, I’d watch the film once more only for that one single shot. In Baahubali 2, for me this kind of a shot was when in the climax, both their chariots fly in the air and their spears clash. But this was even more an ‘OMFG’ moment.

The whole interval stretch was a blast. The fire crackers oozing in the behind. The water pipes splashing around. The animals running around. I was like, hang on, hang on, I need to process this shot. That was wonderful… oh wait. Oh shit, this is also mind blowing. Oh but… oh my! This was how I was feeling in the interval sequence. And it’s beautiful and endearing because Bheem got in an army of animals and brought an entire castle down, for one small girl.

Apart from RRR being an action packed entertainer, it’s a film with a lot of heart. I loved the story too because two people with the exact same intentions end up turning against each other. The flashback sequence of Ram, justifies his actions, his character, it closes plot points and it’s a kickass scene by itself if not for anything else too. He’s a man who killed his own father, because it’s revolution. Such a man, let go of his mission for a friend. And then, after they both know that both of them are standing for the same things, they both go and conquer the world. It’s such a beautiful story.

Your Name

Your Name (2016)

Written and Directed by: Makoto Shinkai

I'm usually not into anime - I watched Spirited Away by Miyakazi, and I enjoyed it. But I wasn't moved, probably because for me, anime as a form was another translucent layer added between me and the story. This film, I just read up the logline and I was damn excited. It's such an exciting premise. And where the film goes with this premise - is in the epic film zone. They manage to somehow seamlessly mix a love story and an epic story of how a teenager saves a lot of lives. This film has an amazing story just for the way they blend both these stories. Though I was in awe and I was amazed by the story and the way it unfolds step by step, I wasn't moved by the film. I don't know if it was because of my inhibitions with the form, but I didn't feel so much. 

After looking up the premise, I was expecting an intimate love story between a teenage couple. This premise can be terrific to tell a story like that. Imagine - a couple who have self doubts, wake up as each other and get to feel how the other person feels like. Maybe one of them thinks that they're not good enough, and the next day they wake up in the other one's body and they see the world through their eyes. Not only do they get to live their life for a day, but also understand their situations better. I see a lot of scope for an intimate story like that. Perhaps for the headspace I'm in right now, I'd have enjoyed that sort of a story a bit more. Though my thirst for an interesting story was fulfilled and I enjoyed this film, I was watching it from a distance. I couldn't go into the characters and experience the film with them, which I'd ideally do with films that move me.

The Kashmir Files (2022)

The Kashmir Files (2022)

Written and Directed by: Vivek Agnihotri

Spoilers Alert.

It's a hard hitting film, exploring untold horror stories in Kashmir. The film talks about cases which were officially not reported, so the film operates a journalist piece as well. The film does wonders from that lens - for uncovering a historical event in a brutally honest way. The film explores a lot of stories and facts about Kashmir too, which we usually aren't exposed to. It's almost like a documentary, but it's told through fictional characters so that at the end of the day it seems like a movie - because obviously a documentary wouldn't have a theatrical release here. I liked Anupam Kher's character, and his arc. Anupam Kher was so good, especially in his death scene. The ending was brutal - it had the vibes of the ending of Sairaat - the way they were using silence in the background.

However, as a story and as a film, it didn't engage me. Because the reality of the film is so far away from mine, that I was watching the film from a distance, almost as if I was watching the news. I was watching the film and feeling bad, but never could I relate or connect to the characters in the film. Whereas in a war film like Life is Beautiful (1997), they match our reality and the reality of war by slowly gaping the bridge. It's understandable why some people are breaking down in the theatres, because their reality in the past sometime was close to this. But for me, I was watching it as it was news. That was my only issue with the film. I wish I could feel a bit more with the characters. Nevertheless, it was a hard hitting experience.

Mahaan (2022)

Mahaan (2022)

Written and Directed by: Karthik Subbaraj
Starring: Vikram, Dhruv Vikram, Bobby Simha
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Spoilers Alert. I missed the Karthik Subbaraj aesthetics & swag in Jagame Thandiram. The Karthik Subbaraj fan in me is satisfied with Mahaan, just because of the scope of the film. We see a clean character arc of Mahaan in the first half - we see a man who's barely tasting alcohol in the beginning, and from there we see a liquor tycoon by the end of the first half. It's a proper breaking bad sort of an arc. I was enjoying how the film was flowing - with Santhosh Narayan's music and snappy editing. Though the core conflict of the film hadn't started yet, I liked how the film was progressing mostly because of the slow arc of Mahaan's character. And by the interval we have a quintessential Karthik Subbaraj twist, such a beautiful point that was. I was completely blown. This interval stretch made me feel so bad for the film not releasing in the theatres.

The second half was playing with our emotions so much. Once, it makes us take Mahaan's side, and once it makes us take Dada's side - just the way it keeps juggling like that, the film seems complex. I was reminded of the Jigarthanda interval by the way Dada kills Rocky. Suddenly, the stakes go so high. By the end, it was becoming too much of a cat and mouse thing, and it felt like they deadlocked themselves where they can't show either of them killing the other. I loved the stretch where Mahaan kills Sathyan - usually such high drama sequences become irritating to watch if they aren't written and shot well. After that, when Dada behaves the way he does, that's when I felt like the film was exploring complexity so much. But after that whatever Mahaan does, didn't feel as satisfying. Apart from the feeling that the film didn't have a proper closure, I enjoyed the film thoroughly.

The Batman (2022)

The Batman (2022)

Directed by: Matt Reeves
Cinematography: Greig Fraser
Starring: Robert Pattinson

I like how superhero films are being experimented in terms of the tonality they're trying to achieve. For example, Joker was a beautiful blend of the superhero universe and the Scorsese-ish style of filmmaking. And it worked wonders. This film is a blend of the superhero universe and the Fincher-esque murder mystery genre. It created an exhilarating effect - especially the way it was shot. I absolutely loved the car chase sequence, and I remember having goosebumps in a shot, my favorite shot of the film - after the car crashes, the upside down shot of Batman walking towards the camera, where there is rain and fire happening in the background. I also remember those top angle shots of Batman standing in the middle of the clues and trying to solve them, they were also visually interesting. I felt that the action was a bit grounded too, especially when Batman fails to land smoothly, and instead crashes on the road once.  

The film's very stylish - the way music is used - there's a rhythm to it and I remember a few scenes where I was dabbing to the music with my legs, almost like how you enjoy to good music in a party. This doesn't happen unless the music matches to the film. You could use the best of music, but if it doesn't match - it seems jarry. I loved John Turturro, the one who played Carmine Falcon - his presence was really good. I thought that the film was extremely high on drama at a few stretches - like the antagonism was on point. But I felt that the retribution, or rather 'the vengeance' wasn't as exhilarating. Which is why I felt that the end was a bit underwhelming. But in spite of that, I really enjoyed the film and I'm looking forward to the sequels.

Radhe Shyam

Radhe Shyam

I enjoyed the film just for how it made me think about free will vs determination. I've always believed in free will, ie in Radhe Shyam's language, I've been in the 1% who believe that we can write our own destiny. But life has proven me wrong so many times. I can point out 4-5 incidents in my life, which inflected my life into drastically different directions. So I also do believe that there's stuff beyond what we can control too.

I really enjoyed the film in parts. I loved the bus sequence, and the song that picks from the point where the buses diverge. The entire song about how they'd meet if they are destined to. I loved this 10-min stretch in the film. After that, I was completely blown away by the interval. He says that she'll live a long life. But we get to know that she has an illness. I was swoon by his balls to believe that he's right and that she'll live a long life. I thought the film from there would be about how he overcomes fate and says that she stays alive. 

But then the film gets done with this in 15 mins and says, if he's right then he's supposed to die - which I thought was yet another jump which was a bit far fetched. Ideally, this could've been opened in the climax. I like how only one of them is meant to live. But I didn't enjoy the whole ship sequence, because if you replace that with a road accident, it would still work. And I also didn't feel like the film needed the Europe setting.

However, having said all these, the film sparked some feelings in me at some points. The feeling of being a hopeless romantic. The feeling of rooting for two lovers to unite. Though it left me hanging a bit, I didn't mind the experience simply because it sparked some feelings in the first place.

Fleabag

Fleabag Season 1

Created, Written by, and Starring: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Streaming on Prime Video.

Fleabag has the obscurity of a French New Wave film - both in terms of style and substance. I've seen an episode a few years, but I wanted to revisit this and finish the first season for some reason. Here, the style almost disrupts the storytelling and me being a big sucker for style - I was enjoying it. But after a point, her looking into the camera and predicting what the other characters would do wasn't as much fun. Because we know that the writer can make the character know what the others would do. So the intelligence of the character felt a bit convenient. But apart from this, I liked the general observations she was making about what'd usually happen after a fling. It's very interesting how this was adapted from a play. I'm curious to know how the 4th wall thing was done in the play. I'm sure it'd have been an interactive play. 

I liked how her character was unfolding throughout the show. The stuff that they show in the last episode, added a beautiful layer to her character, which was pretty consistent throughout the show. Even in the humor, there is a sense of detachment in the character - which is what the stuff in the last episode explained. I like the complicated relationship with her sister, and with her father. I loved how even I took her side, and started hating the step-mother till the father comes to her and says, I deserve to move on and be happy. With that one line, my perspective flipped. I was like, yeah, why am I too judging the step mother? That's when I realized how beautiful the writing was - it took us inside her head and made us empathize with her so much that we lose objectivity for a while. I don't want to urgently watch the 2nd season, because I don't know what's in store. But I'll definitely watch it sometime later. 

Chungking Express

Re-watch: Chungking Express (1994)

Written and Directed by: Wong Kar-wai

Streaming on MUBI.

I watched this film a year or two back. Even back then, I loved the film for its visual aesthetics and the trippy nature and vibe of the film. Now, in the re-watch, I could appreciate the writing a lot more. Especially the voice-over is written beautifully - it's informative, expository but it's also funny. Every line has some layer of fun or a jab to it. One of the lines which I thought was very simple yet interesting was about how he says that he was born at 6:00 AM and hence, in 2 minutes, he'll actually be 25. It's such a weird detail to think about.The phone call scene was hilarious, where he calls up all the girls he's ever known. Though the scene is funny and filled with dark humor, it never feels like the scene lacks empathy. The scene makes us stay with the character and feel his loneliness, but in a lighter tone. I love how both the women in this film have very distinct visual styles. Their hair, make up and look is so distinct that once you watch this film, you have their imagery etched in your head. It's interesting to be able to create such images within simple settings, without any grandeur. 

Wong's portrayal of love, longing and, heartbreak has always been romantic. I'm sure Wong's films would make people who've never faced a heartbreak, go through some kind of a FOMO. I think his films work because he uses trippy visuals, fragmented editing style, interesting pop music and a lot of stylistic elements of filmmaking, to show a simple, singular emotion - longing. In The Mood for Love, is a more focused film and even that film has a beautiful sense of style. But I think Chungking Express is one of those very few films that expanded my vocabulary of cinema, and has defined my stylistic choices as a filmmaker and as an artist.

Yellow Cat

Yellow Cat (2020)

Directed by: Adilkhan Yerzhanov
Streaming on MUBI India.

This film wasn't very accessible to me. It had a lot of deadpan humor, which I really enjoy - I'm a huge fan of Bill Murray's deadpan comedy in Lost in Translation, Broken Flowers and On The Rocks. The issue in this film was, it felt too obscure and scattered - which made the film alien to me. I wasn't tracking with the story as much. I was enjoying the scenes individually. The set-ups, the quirks in the actors, the pop culture references and the way the film is shot - I was enjoying all of them. But I wasn't emotionally hooked. But, I didn't mind watching it only for its absurdity. It's a damn weird film. 

Because it's extremely weird and unpredictable, but it never becomes any dramatic. No matter how trivial the stuff that's happening there, the pacing will always remain the same. I think that's the sign of a solid director - who is unapologetically held on the tone of the film. I think that's essentially the job of a director. Keeping in check - the tone of the film. Because I personally think, sometimes, even more than the plot and characters - the tone makes the audience decide if they want to continue watching it or not. So the tone of this film felt too obscure to me. It's like what if 'Ballad of Buster Scruggs' became even more obscure?

Nevertheless, I loved the unpredictability of the film. The stand-offs are interesting. And I loved some of the locations in the film - so beautiful they were. It's a Kazakhstani film - and Kazakhstan is not usually in our pop culture too. So it was interesting to experience the milieu there through a film. But the setting of the film made it feel like it doesn't represent the country in any way. 

The Tinder Swindler

The Tinder Swindler (2022)

Directed by: Felicity Morris
Streaming on Netflix.

Spoilers Ahead.

It's a film about a scamster. It's structured in a way that we too see the scam unfold from the perspective of the victims. So the film starts with the victims narrating every event from the beginning. About how they get a match of a guy on Tinder, and about how he takes them to ridiculously expensive first dates, about how sweet and too good to be true he is. And then he slowly gains trust, and later cheats them with a lot of money. And he keeps rotating the cycle, he spends the money he made on the previous girl, on this girl, so on and so forth. And he has done this with so many women. It's a simple crime story. But somehow Netflix manages to make it seem like an interesting watch. I'm curious to know the behind-the-scenes process of such true-crime documentaries. Majorly as to how they manage to create a tone - and about the aesthetics that are kept in mind while making calls which would effect the tone of the film. 

Although sometimes, I do wonder, if these docs can't have a more casual tone to them. Because in order to hook us to the core, probably a story that doesn't need as much drama - is also made to seem "interesting". Are we losing out on the truth? I'm curious to see how a true crime, subliminal, documentary would unfold. Like the pacing of a Jim Jarmusch film, but it's about a riveting serial killer. You hold at him after he is done speaking too. Something like that. It could be boring. I'm just curious.

Petite Maman (2021)

Petite Maman (2021)

Written and Directed by: Celine Sciamma

Streaming on MUBI.

Celine Sciamma has a very strong directorial voice. When she's directing a scene, it feels like we're watching the characters by standing right in between them. It's the way it's paced, with a lot of space given for silences. And it's also the way it sounds, the dialogue sounds a bit like whisper and we hear each and every sound they make. Sometimes including gasps and breath too. I've not seen better use of sound in this minute level. The way a character gasps can change the meaning of the scene sometimes. Difference between a gasp of relief and a gasp of exasperation. In Potrait of a Lady on Fire, there were a lot of silent moments between the characters, but here, we see long takes where there is some action happening in the frame - but it's actually nothing - because the action is mostly some repetitive action which isn't adding anything to the scene except for creating that tone.

I like how she had them wear red and blue so that it's visually distinct. Otherwise, two young girls are not so easily distinct. I love the idea of exploring friendship between two young girls. It's so pure and innocent. And above that, the interesting idea that one of them is the other's daughter and the element of time travel is introduced into the story just like that. Again, I love how their bonding is captured. Lot of beautiful montages. Beautiful scenes. I love the scene where they both talk in bed in whispers. The film didn't work for me on an emotional level, but I didn't mind it only for its obscurity and creativity.

A Thursday (2022)

A Thursday (2022)

Written and Directed by: Behzad Khambata

Starring: Yami Gautam, Atul Kulkarni, Neha Dhupia

Streaming on Disney+Hotstar. Spoilers Ahead.

The film is interesting on an idea level. One location film. High stakes. With something to say. Though the film is well shot and executed, it didn't work for me on some levels. It turns out to be interesting when she shoots one kid. Shit gets real. The stakes go really high. Till then we're seeing this sweet school teacher, who's probably doing something. But the moment a child is killed, the film grabs our attention. But what didn't work for me is that - to me it didn't seem like Naina, the character has organically arrived at a point where she's doing this. Even after knowing all of her backstory, all of that happened to her - I still wasn't convinced that she'd be doing all this. But that's just me. Looking for the absolute truth in every character and their journey. But keep that part aside, it was interesting. 

This film has a strong worldview - and films with propaganda are always interesting if the film works even without the propaganda. Like Pink. The film is a beautiful mystery about what happened that night. And when the film answers that question, it also puts forward a worldview 'no means no' like a tight slap on our faces. Whereas this film - after the mystery is opened up - there is very little to be uncovered. We know what'd happen. Except for the twist that the driver was the rapist, there wasn't much that was making me feel like I'm seeing something new. Having said that, it's a decent film. It has a simple point, a one-location film, well shot, decently written and I enjoyed watching it.