Solid stuff. Sincere thanks to Ishan Parashar for the recc.
I have said this before and I'll say it again that you can watch films from the world over, marvel at different cultures, the technical ability, the novelty - but a film concordant with your views on what a good film feels like in your mother tongue is really something else. And watching something understated and (at least relatively) subtle like this really feels like a breath of fresh air after grinding it out with a flurry of masala films.
So the film is essentially defined majorly by three situations where our protagonist Soni, a Delhi cop, faces dilemmas that are similar in nature and we witness the consequences she faces for making what is arguably the right choice. Further, via her interactions with a superior officer and sequences where we follow Soni home (God that sounds creepy), we come to learn about the trials and tribulations in her daily life, and multiple problems plaguing women in India are brought up in this fashion.
The first thing to say is that I felt it dealt with the issues it sought to ruminate upon with impressive eloquence and empathy (which is a word being thrown around a lot when talking about this film, and justifiably so). I also loved the way it was shot and edited (stylistically similar to some of my all-time favs), performances (especially from the lead pair) are very strong, and the characters are well sketched out.
But some things don't work. There is a subplot (Soni and Praveen) that is merely mentioned and then dropped completely. While it is an understandable choice and it could be argued that it would serve as a deviation, I really felt it was pretty bothersome because it gives the scene where it is brought up a cryptic but irritating quality. There are also some other shots that I rewatched but am rather sure do not go anywhere and contribute little. I would generally blame it on my lack of understanding but it felt a little unlikely that was the case here. The resolution is also irritatingly rushed and disappointingly convenient after the good job Ayr does at building a slight but constant sense of tension.
In closing, I just think it is unfair that some people I know have been rolling their eyes at this film because the word feminist is often thrown into the conversation about it. It does seem it has become a dirty word for some :3 But make no mistake, this is a humanist film in fact, and deeply so.
I have said this before and I'll say it again that you can watch films from the world over, marvel at different cultures, the technical ability, the novelty - but a film concordant with your views on what a good film feels like in your mother tongue is really something else. And watching something understated and (at least relatively) subtle like this really feels like a breath of fresh air after grinding it out with a flurry of masala films.
So the film is essentially defined majorly by three situations where our protagonist Soni, a Delhi cop, faces dilemmas that are similar in nature and we witness the consequences she faces for making what is arguably the right choice. Further, via her interactions with a superior officer and sequences where we follow Soni home (God that sounds creepy), we come to learn about the trials and tribulations in her daily life, and multiple problems plaguing women in India are brought up in this fashion.
The first thing to say is that I felt it dealt with the issues it sought to ruminate upon with impressive eloquence and empathy (which is a word being thrown around a lot when talking about this film, and justifiably so). I also loved the way it was shot and edited (stylistically similar to some of my all-time favs), performances (especially from the lead pair) are very strong, and the characters are well sketched out.
But some things don't work. There is a subplot (Soni and Praveen) that is merely mentioned and then dropped completely. While it is an understandable choice and it could be argued that it would serve as a deviation, I really felt it was pretty bothersome because it gives the scene where it is brought up a cryptic but irritating quality. There are also some other shots that I rewatched but am rather sure do not go anywhere and contribute little. I would generally blame it on my lack of understanding but it felt a little unlikely that was the case here. The resolution is also irritatingly rushed and disappointingly convenient after the good job Ayr does at building a slight but constant sense of tension.
In closing, I just think it is unfair that some people I know have been rolling their eyes at this film because the word feminist is often thrown into the conversation about it. It does seem it has become a dirty word for some :3 But make no mistake, this is a humanist film in fact, and deeply so.
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