Note: Originally written in June 2015
As we navigate through life, we are often confounded by choices; choices that we need to make from amongst options that cannot co-exist. Often these choices lead to irreversible circumstances and consequences. Yet we move along with considerable adeptness at making these choices. The conundrum for Rebecca (Juliette Binoche) though, as she faces the inevitability of a choice, is that either consequence of this choice is not only irreversible but also powerful and thoroughly devastating. A war photographer who was almost killed in a suicide bombing, Rebecca returns home only to face an ultimatum from her family to quit her life threatening job or loose their intimacy. The film takes us closer to the various characters surrounding this conundrum at multiple levels; primarily Rebecca, secondarily her teenage daughter and husband who're increasingly growing distant from her yet show some level of understanding, and tertiary-ly, the various global communities at strife that Rebecca helps through her daring photojournalism. The screenplay and narration carefully balance moments of emotional poignance and conflict without getting judgmental at any point. The camera work is strikingly gorgeous; the background score, minimal yet appropriate. But the film is entirely anchored on Juliette Binoche's terrific acting, which proves with immediacy why she is one of the greatest contemporary actors. For just her alone, this stands out as a very powerful film. Read more on the flick at IMDB and Letterboxd.
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As I began watching the film, the soaring soundtrack by Ajay and Atul, which includes the background score and the supremely melodic songs, almost felt overkill. For a film so interested in the rustic realities of rural Maharasthra, symphonies recorded at the Sony Scoring Stages in Hollywood seem a bit, out of place. If I had a chance to ask Nagraj Manjule, the acclaimed director of the film, one question; it would be if he meant for the soundtrack to be so. This is because he understands when music works and when does silence. His gut-punching end to the film, is marked by absolute silence. One of the terrifying and truly horrific variety. The narrative till that moment, perhaps aided by that aforementioned soundtrack, lulls you into a sense of complacence. Complacence for what life has in store for a young couple who court each other, brave unsupportive circumstances, and manage to survive them. As well shot as this part of the flick is, it plays second fiddle to what comes after: stark reality. Manjule's obsession with the latter provides a firm exposition of what a young couple has to endure to make their relationship work in the long run. In this case, the couple gracefully thrives; and Manjule patiently lets them. Till the point where a starker reality that our society usually tries to turn a blind eye to engulfs them, marked by the aforementioned absolute silence. Rinku Rajguru is stellar in her role of a go-getter girl who constantly believes she can defy the odds. Sudhakar Reddy's camera ably assists Manjule's vision, which is the centerpiece the aforementioned narrative builds upon with surprising gut. "Sairat" is a rightfully stirring film.
Catch more on the flick at IMDB and Letterboxd. Note: Originally written in June 2015.
What would you do if you had to live the same day for the rest of your lives? Woven excellently around this question, "Groundhog Day" delicately balances pedagogy with wit and humor. And it has a frontman who is an ace at that very art. Bill Murray is one of those very few actors who can look sad and come off as funny, and be happy and come off as pitiful, at the same time. The way this actor handles nuance is greatly accomplished, as is seen quite later in his other flick "Lost in Translation". Quite like Sofia Coppola, Harold Ramis creates a unique atmosphere for this flick, aided greatly by its quaint mid-western setting and the plethora of characters that come with it. Below this superficial and unique setting is the endearing question or rather a wishful scenario that everyone aspires in life. To be able to predict and control the whims and fancies of Life. And the film charmingly presents all the wonderful consequences and predicaments that follow. It drives the protagonist to dangerous lengths of boredom and a suicidal tendency, highlighting how we all thrive on the unpredictability of life. Or probably, the fact that we're all just trying to live out our terrible days, in hope of better times to come. And then, the flick presents a nicer alternative, of knowing situations and scenarios so as to make the day slightly better for others. Or to court the same woman in myriad ways every day. Or to begin enjoying the many moments and not wait for time to pass. So what would yo do if you had to live the same day for the rest of your life? Check out more about the flick at IMDB and Letterboxd. |
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