Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (2021)

Written and Directed by: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival

From the director of the Oscar winning film, ‘Drive My Car’ came another film in the same year. And even this film did a good run in the festival circuits. Both the films deal with the intricacies of modern relationships. I’d say that I enjoyed this film more than Drive My Car. This film is an anthology of three stories – and all the stories have very minimalist, simple setups – mostly told through conversations. The first story is a simple story about how a girl meets her best friend’s ex. The premise is extremely simple, but what he does with this is mind-blowing. This premise could lead to a comedy of errors, it could be a slice of life comedy, or a simple rom-com too. But this film goes into deeper territories. It talks about different shit people do in relationships ranging from self-sabotaging acts to how people deliberately hurt the ones that they love. For me, the entire stretch of conversation at the office was masterful writing.

The second story is also in a very interesting space – it’s simple on the outside, but if you go within, it plays with a lot of ideas like revenge, goes a bit into territories of voyeurism, and I absolutely loved how the story flips. Even in this story, the entire stretch of a scene is classy writing – set in one room, two people and it’s about 20 minutes and it explores so much of the human condition within relationships. I could sense a lot of unflinching honesty in the writing. The last story, was the least favorite of all for me. I liked the intensity of the feelings the characters were carrying, but somehow it didn’t translate to me as much. I’m usually not that much of a fan of anthologies – but I absolutely enjoyed watching this film, simply because how gripping the writing is, irrespective of its extremely simple setups.  

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

Directed by: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Screenplay by: Jesse Andrews
Based on a book of the same name. 

It's such a beautiful film. One of the co-producers on the film is Dan Fogelman, who created This Is Us, wrote Crazy, Stupid, Love; who has this voice which inspires us to be more kind and loving. And I could see that in this film. It's such a bittersweet, beautiful film about friendship. I really liked how the film keeps teasing us with what would've happened if this was just another romantic movie. I like the dry tone of the film, and it almost seems like a heartless black comedy in the beginning, but it slowly turns into a film with a lot of heart. I like films which don't shove emotion down our throats - they just present it and let us feel. This film does exactly that. And even in the tragedy they explore, there is a poetic sense to it - the way the voice over keeps coming - sometimes she'd laugh, sometimes she wouldn't; sometimes she'd talk, sometimes she'd be quiet - there's a musical sense to the dialogue.

It's essentially a beautiful coming-of-age story of Greg, who feels like a misfit, prefers being invisible, is an outcast - and why? Because he is into weird world cinema which a lot of people don't give a shit about. Ouch. Sounds like me. Also because he works super hard and makes shitty films, at least he thinks so. Ouch. Again sounds like me. Which is why this film feels very personal. And for the first time in his life, when he shows his film to Rachel on her deathbed and sees the effect the film has on her, he is overwhelmed by this. Because he always thought that he was useless, and his films were shit. And when we later listen to the letter Rachel wrote to his school, it's so heartwarming. One of the taglines on the poster says, 'a little friendship never killed anyone'. I'm in that stage of life right now, where friendship is not in the top priorities of my life. And films like these inspire me to relook at how I look at these things. 

KGF: Chapter 2

KGF: Chapter 2

Written and Directed by: Prashant Neel
Starring: Yash

There's something about the storytelling style of KGF, I always find it a little tricky to track with the story and the world. Maybe the way it's shot and edited, or maybe because of the number of characters. Probably that's why I didn't emotionally engage with KGF 1, and except for a few scenes the same happened with the 2nd part too. But I was tripping over the editing. I can't believe the film was edited by a 19-year-old guy. The film is high on coke, just because of the way it's edited. It's extremely fragmented, I remember the car chase scene on the road - the way it keeps cutting to a blank screen - it's so musical and it has a beautiful rhythm to it. And even otherwise, the editing is quite non-linear, they keep intercutting between two or sometimes even three scenes to build tension and it works. Even the sound design is pretty kickass, especially the action scenes. Felt like the edit and the sound were pushing each other so well. The background score too. 

Though I couldn't track with the story that well, I loved the zone of the film. Especially towards the ending where we see Rocky getting into the darker zone. I loved the scene where he goes straight into the parliament, the way he goes to meet the PM - though there's a sense of disbelief there, the tone of the film makes all these scenes work. I liked the ending too. I felt that he couldn't become a man like this just to keep his mother's promise. That could be an ignition, but he can't do all of this without him having it within him. I think he gets it more when he's beaten up all his life, till one day he gets back. I think pretty much all grey characters have a backstory like this, being suppressed for a while till they decide to revolt. I also liked how they were bringing in quirks through Rocky's grammatically wrong dialogues here and there. For me, I enjoyed the film mostly because of the edit and the style more than anything else.

Beast

Beast (2022)

Written and Directed by: Nelson
Starring: Vijay, Pooja Hegde 

Usually Nelson's both the films play in a certain territory - they don't take themselves seriously, and though they have a "plot" per se, the entire focus is on the quirky treatment. With Beast, it's the same - they never take themselves seriously and this time I wish they did a bit. Because at least in Kolamavu Kokila and Doctor, the film has a wider scope and range, there is a lot of movement, plenty of characters and though they play in the zone of comedy, there are moments of drama. In Beast, even in the moments of drama, they take it lightly either with exaggerated action or with jokes. I didn't mind watching the film, I had some fun, but the issue was that I was never even slightly invested in the film and the conflict. It felt so superficial. I liked how they introduced the character with the opening sequence, but the entire mall episode felt like it could've been a sequence at max and not a big chunk of the film. 

The action was shot in a very stylistic way, especially the opening sequence, but as the film goes on, some of them were a bit too blatant. I liked the stretch where the terrorist joins the crowd and gets to know all the insider stuff, and goes back. I wish there were more interesting sequences like this. After having watched an entire show like Money Heist, set in a similar setting, all of this felt a bit too normal. Also, I think that since it's a Vijay film, the expectations from the film is different. If this was a 5 crore film without a lot of action, I think it'd have been a kickass film. Since this was mounted on such a huge scale with a star like Vijay, the film automatically has the burden of having to be emotionally satisfying. Having said this, I thoroughly enjoyed Vijay's performance. He was so charming and fun to watch.

The White Tiger (2021)

The White Tiger (2021)

Written for the Screen and Directed by: Ramin Bahrani

Starring: Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra, Rajkumar Rao

Streaming on Netflix. 

It feels like a follow up film to Slumdog Millionaire. I enjoyed watching the film for its style and its narrative style. Although, having Balram speak in English felt a little off. In this day and age where we watch a lot of World Cinema, I wish they'd have shot the film with the dialogue predominantly in Hindi. The style of the voice over in this film is similar to Wolf of Wall Street - they make day to day observations in a world that is completely different from our regular world. In Wolf of Wall Street, he talks about wealth, his lavishness and more. In this film, they talk about poverty. Though the film has empathy towards Balram, the lens from which even the film looks at him is quite elitist. The fact that they make an observation about 10 people sleeping in a house - which is quite normal in some parts of the country - speaks about their lens. I feel that to an extent that's necessary, or else the film would've been too art house. But I felt that if the film could eventually change its lens as the film progresses, and travel with the character - it's have been more hitting. Now, even in the beginning, the film looks at this world from an outsider's view. What if they travel with the character and what if the worldview of the film too evolves with the character?

Apart from this one issue, I absolutely enjoyed the film. I loved Adarsh Gourav's performance. He was terrific. I enjoyed the craft of the film, the way it's shot and edited is beautiful. I want to definitely watch Ramin Bahrani's other films. The film definitely hits hard in terms of how it talks about the rooster attitude, social mobility, the wealth disparity and things like that. It's an unnerving story of an underdog, and by the end of the film, I definitely want to know more about what happened to Balram after this, because it's likely that he continues to go down this path for his desire for more.  

A Hero (2021)

A Hero (2021)

Written and Directed by: Asghar Farhadi
Won the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival 2021. 

A Hero is a classic Asghar Farhadi film. It starts off with a simple conflict, and the way it builds, the layers that are added in the story, the way it gets so complex, it's so bloody interesting. I like how Asghar Farhadi always plays the god. He presents us with a few situations, a few characters and they keep fighting amongst themselves, coming up with tons of possibilities. The film doesn't even answer half of them. They are just let open. But he tickles us with all these possibilities for sure. From these few possibilities, he then probes. He probes by creating situations which make it tougher for the protagonist. It becomes as riveting as if it's like a thriller film, but it's a simple drama without any violence or sex. His films are interesting because he never introduces the characters, they introduce themselves - so there's always a possibility that they could be lying. So there's that constant sense of mystery throughout. 

For the first time in an Asghar Farhadi film, I saw music being used. I remember it being used in 2-3 scenes and I was so surprised. I absolutely loved a few moments in this film - the fight between Rahim and the creditor - the way it was shot and executed - it felt so so real. It's filmmaking at its best. I also enjoyed the whole stretch when Rahim takes his girlfriend to pretend as the lady who lost her bag. And later when he's caught, the scene at the charity office was also thrilling. There was one cut which I enjoyed so much - after Rahim tells them that he got his girlfriend because they couldn't find the lady - they cut from a series of closes to a sudden wide shot where we see everyone. At that point, I felt how he'd have felt. The feeling of being caught in front of everyone. I enjoyed a lot of such moments in the film - and I loved how in the ending he takes a stand and asks him to delete the video. It's a nice arc.

The Rescue (2021)

The Rescue (2021)

Directed and Produced by: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin

Streaming on Disney+Hotstar

From the adventurous filmmaking duo who made the Oscar winning documentary Free Solo, comes another such documentary. This film follows the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue, where 13 kids were stuck in a cave. This mission lasted for about 18 days and more than 10,000 people were involved in this rescue. And this film captured almost the entire event on film. I was wondering how they managed to get so much of footage in such high pressure situations. Whenever I feel - how the hell did they shoot that - I'm reminded of the magic of cinema and this documentary made me feel that throughout. There are dark caves filled with water, and the divers are headed into them without any idea of where they are headed to. And we see this footage. I think they'd have attached cameras in everyone's helmets and would've gotten a lot of footage. But the way it was edited, all of it felt so seamless, in fact some sequences felt as good as they were choreographed. It was a total claustrophobic experience. Them being underwater, them trying to get a few breaths - I could feel all of these. 

When I watch such stories where the stakes are so high and it's about survival - I end up zooming out a bit and looking at life from a larger lens. We often worry about the smallest of things, and get so worked up for no reason. And there I'm seeing 13 kids who stayed in a cave for 11 days without any food, without any clue if they'd make it alive outside. Usually, I don't relate to such high stakes situations because I've never been there - but cinema as a medium makes us relate, empathize and remind us to be grateful for what we have. I feel like when we watch such films, we should take the opportunity to zoom out our life a little and introspect. 

Jalsa

Jalsa (2022)

Directed by: Suresh Triveni

Starring: Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

The film has a very gripping premise. It's about a hit and run case of a young girl, and the aftermaths that follow. This isn't necessarily the premise. Maya (Vidya Balan) is a successful journalist who stands for the truth, and she's the one who does the accident. The irony of how a journalist who stands for the truth reacts when it's herself - that's the film. It plays more in the drama zone than in the mystery zone because we know who did it, and we see how the characters react when they get to know. I liked how there was a lot of complexity and contradictions in the characters, and I like how the world seemed very layered and rich. Especially Ayush's character - it added a whole lot to the world, the tone and the relationship dynamics between Maya and Rukhsana. I liked the climax and how they staged it - it felt very complex. I didn't quite enjoy the track of Imaad and whatever that was happening concerning them. It added a nice layer to the world, but I wasn't enjoying it as much. 

Usually, I love watching grey and messed up characters - but there has to be a likeability to them. Here, the mess up that the characters were, sometimes it wasn't visually pleasant to watch. Especially Maya's outbursts in the ending were getting a little irritating to watch. It was slowly leaking it into the psychological thriller space, which I usually enjoy but the meters of the performance of both Vidya and Shefali in the ending, made it a little challenging to track with. At the core, it's a cat and mouse sort of a thing and the other subplots weren't really doing much to me. For example, the entire track of the cop taking the bribe being covered on camera and that entire play - though it's an aid to the plot - I wish I saw more of the drama between Maya and Rukhsana. Though it wasn't emotionally gratifying and didn't work for me entirely, I enjoyed the film for how it was constantly complex and mysterious.

Badhai Do

Badhaai Do (2022)

Co-written and Directed by: Harshavardhan Kulkarni
Written by: Suman Adhikari, Akshat Ghildial

Streaming on Netflix. 

To be honest, I wasn't even excited to watch this film because the trailer made it seem like just another film with a premise about a social taboo - which Bollywood has done a lot by now. But the film was a pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed watching it. The writing of the film is solid - especially when you zoom into the film and take each scene in particular. The way they open up scenes are very interesting - something as simple as how they reveal Bhumi. We see a hand swiping through profiles of women and we assume it'd be a man, we see that it's Bhumi. Also the scene where Shardul's mom sees Sumi and Rimjhim together - the way it's staged and blocked is beautiful. Like this, I felt in a lot of scenes that the scenes were opened and closed in a really good way. The film also works on a human level - especially Shardul's heartbreak with Kabir - it was beautiful. You need not be gay to relate to that. You relate to it like it's a heartbreak to a person. In spite of the relationships being universal, they also bring in the nuances of a homosexual relationship. 

When you zoom out a little, it's impossible for a film like to have a happy resolution like a Badhaai Ho did, because acceptance is a really long shot even now. I liked how they staged a parade scene, and how they create a dramatic moment when Shardul wears the mask. I absolutely loved the track of Sumi and her father - again, it works on a human level. One of the tracks I felt could've been taken out was the entire play of Shardul and Sumi trying to delay Shardul's mom's visit to hide Rimjhim. Apart from this one track, I liked the other tracks which were playing with comedy of errors. Raj and Bhumi did a beautiful job of bringing in the vulnerability, especially Raj because Shardul is an alpha guy otherwise. I also liked the casting choices of Rimjhim and Kabir, because subconsciously it becomes easier to accept faces which seem a little unfamiliar, and that was a very clever move. I was wondering why they cast Gulshan in the ending part. But all in all, I really enjoyed this film. 

Drive My Car

Drive My Car (2021)

Co-Written and Directed by: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Based on a short story by Haruki Murakami from 'Men without Women' 
Won the Oscar for Best International Feature & Best Screenplay at Cannes

I had read this short story by Murakami long back, and it led a strong impact on me back then. It was exciting to see a 3-hour film made on a 30-minute short story. Of course, they further developed it and showed a few more events which the short story treats as a backstory. This story is entirely about feelings - how do people feel when put in complex situations. The film is very simple physically - like the events that happen are pretty simple to explain - but the feelings involved are extremely complex. A man is dealing with the death of his wife - but he's also dealing with more - he comes to know that she was cheating on him and he never finds the courage to confront her. He loves her so much that he fears losing her. He'd rather not confront her, live with it and let it be. And then she dies. Now, he's dealing with the guilt of not having asked her about it. Now he wants to know what was on her mind when she was doing it. He wants to speak to her one last time - but the chance is gone. It's extremely complex and in a way bittersweet, because even now he doesn't hate her. 

The book deals with how he talks to the guy who she was sleeping with - to know what he had that he didn't. To understand why she'd have slept with him. To find answers. But in the film, he doesn't do that. He seems to already know the answers and he's in a way patronizing with the guy. I remember in the book, he treats him almost as an equal and they even end up becoming friends. The film has terrific moments - the ending sequence where they go to Misaki's hometown - that entire sequence is so beautifully written, shot and performed. I like how they use the setting of theatre, rehearsing the lines in the car and all such techniques to elevate storytelling. I really enjoyed watching this film. 

Sharmaji Namkeen (2022)

Sharmaji Namkeen (2022)

Directed by: Hitesh Bhatia
Starring: Rishi Kapoor & Paresh Rawal as Sharmaji
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video. 

I was initially drawn to this film because of the bittersweet story behind the making of this film. The demise of legendary actor, Rishi Kapoor without the film getting finished, led them to finish the film with another actor Paresh Rawal. It's such an endearing act, instead of chucking the footage and reshooting the entire thing. But the film also turned out to be as endearing as the story behind. It's the story of Sharma, a retired man, who isn't done yet. He still has it inside him, and he doesn't want to quit yet. It's interesting how they depict that roles reverse after parents get old, they become more adventurous and fun, and the grown up son becomes conservative - and they become the controlling ones. I think the family being controlling is a very Asian thing - and I feel like such cultures should add another love language to their vocabulary - letting go. Of course, the opposite extreme to that would result in a society full of lonely people who's let gone of everyone. I think all of us have to realign ourselves a bit on the scale of obsession to indifference towards our loved ones, till we find a good balance.

I enjoyed watching the film - it has the syntax of a typical well made 2010s Bollywood film - set in the heartland of India, a premise, some humor, some drama and some heart. The sequence on the night of Sharmaji's birthday worked beautifully for me - they explored every character's weaknesses in one scene. But for me, the climax felt like a let down - because after such a high drama sequence, they ended it on a lighter note and it didn't really feel like the characters resolved their issues from within. It just felt they temporarily got back together - which is okay, because they show that they continue fighting even in the end. But perhaps, a change from within would've been a more satisfying end. Nevertheless, I enjoyed watching the film.