Farzi (2023)

Farzi (2023)

Directed and Produced by: Raj & DK

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi, Raashi Khanna

By now, it feels like Raj & DK have cracked the format - doesn't matter what story they're telling, what world and characters they're exploring - they figure a solid narrative structure for the long format every time. On the surface, the narrative of Farzi is in similar lines of Breaking Bad - a guy who feels like the system is a bad way to live life by, finds a way to live outside of it with an immense talent he has. But it still seems like a different story, because on the surface the reason for both the protagonists is money. But it's more than the money. It's the insults they face, the oppression, the discrimination they face, the way they're treated and looked at. It's all these things that make more of a difference. In Ep. 2 of Farzi, we see a terrific flashback of Sunny. He's abandoned by his father in a train, and he starts drawing on every platform so that his father would recognise it and find him. 

One style I've observed in Raj & DK's storytelling is - they create depth in their stories by treating moments in a slightly matter of fact way. Sunny's father abandoned him. Big deal? It happens. It's life. That's the treatment. We don't feel these emotions with Sunny, and because of that we start looking at Sunny slightly from a distance where we know that he's been through a lot in life and it makes us feel like we are not adequate to judge what's right and wrong for him. And hence, a beautiful grey character who is protected from our judgements is born. Vijay Sethupathi's character reminded me of Srikanth Tiwari - I love how Raj & DK explore middle aged relationships and marriages, within the context of family, and the real world. Again, Vijay Sethupathi loses custody of his kid. Big deal? It's life. And because of this treatment style, it feels like you're witnessing life and you surrender to them more than otherwise. 

The Whale (2022)

The Whale (2022

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Written by: Samuel D. Hunter

Starring: Brendan Fraser

The Whale is the most potent experience I've had in a long time. It's about a depressed, morbidly obese man desperately trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter. One of the brutal things about the film is how it sustains the emotion of despair. The state where you've given up on life, but don't have the courage to kill yourself either. So you just let things be - and life and death doesn't make much difference and as much as a sparrow's chirp can change your decision. The film sustaining this emotion felt like having to make a choice to life almost every day. And despite everything he faces, what's inspiring about Charlie is his undying belief in people and their ability to care. The film also talks about honesty and hypocrisy in a rich way full of layers. 

This film shows what a good script and a director at the top of his game can do. This script is so solid, it has twists and turns, some terrific set ups and pay offs and every dialogue in the film meant something. Darren's already unflinchingly honest take to tell stories adds a lot to this story. It's brutal where it's brutal. In the scene where Charlie binge eats, it almost feels like a horror film. But the way the film leaves Charlie in a state of being out of despair, the way it eventually hits us with layer after layer in the ending - I could think of no other example but a crescendo in an orchestra. The Whale is a beautiful exploration of depression, despair, hope and humanity - and it makes you feel grateful and inspired. 

The Time It Takes (2022)

The Time It Takes (2022)

Created by and Starring: Nadia de Santiago

Streaming on Netflix.

It's a new format, with ten 11-minute episodes. And the structure of the episodes is also very interesting - whereas the first episode is 10 minutes in the past, 1 minute in the present, and the second is 9 minutes in the past, 2 minutes in the present and so on. It's a beautifully narrative structure to explore the relationship in the past and eventually lead it up to the present. The show explores one relationship, but in a way explores modern relationships in general. And it is brutally disturbing for the way it explores everything bad that can happen within the context of a relationship ranging from feeling distant, to feeling rejected to being cheated on. And my heart was heavy to see that she'd still want to make it work. The duality of modern relationships being very futile vs someone trying with their everything to make something work throws us into an inexplicable dilemma. The show kept me wondering how to feel about everything. The icing on the cake is how it goes to the space where they also explore how childhood trauma can spill over into our adult relationships.

The show is brutally honest and heartbreaking. Mostly because of the narrative structure. We know that they're apart and after that every happy moment in the past feels tragic because we know what it eventually lead to. Everything seems futile. But you also keep wondering if you could get yourself to cherish it till it lasts. The happy moments in the flashbacks are crazy romantic - there's a lot of passionate sex, there are so many cute and tender moments which we enjoy till we actually understand her plight in the present. After that cute moments aren't cute anymore. They're brutal. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Nadia De Santiago, the lead actress was also the creator of the show. She's the hero of the show, she depicted pain and heartbreak beautifully. In the present, just her blank face showed that she was in so much pain. I was just so mad about the ending. After everything... after everything... couldn't she have walked away? I was begging for her to walk away. But they end it before that. I'm still hoping that she did, but guess we'll never know.