This Hindi movie is a pretty straightforward slice-of-life story that tries to give a modern look at what it's like to be a single, professional gay man. It dives into how he understands who he is, the chances he missed out on, and the personal choices he’s made along the way. The director used three parallel timelines to tell the story, which honestly didn't make much sense to me. While the core idea was actually pretty interesting, I really feel like this would have worked way better as a short film considering the point it was trying to make. Still, it wasn't a bad watch. The plot centers on Rachit, a city professional, and his friend Shikhar as they hang out for an evening. Rachit is a polished, urban guy, while Shikhar has more of a "small-town" rustic vibe, and you can really see the contrast between them when they talk. As the night goes on, Rachit starts thinking back to some old memories from a long time ago. He remembers being an intern after college in ...
The film starts with Frankie, a young hot teenager, checking out gay dating website and checking out older guys. He says he is not sure what he is looking for (or maybe he cannot admit). And then we get to know him better. He lives with his dying father, sister and mother in a cramped Brooklyn house and he along with 3 of his other friends spend most of their time just walking on the beach, boardwalk, trying to pick girls and just getting high on pills, drugs, smoke and weed. One such girl. Simone, gets liking for Frankie and our man hangs onto her, more for social acceptance and to truly hide his feelings. In the meantime he continues to meet older men, while continuing to tussle between who he truly is and whats expected of him. When his friends start questioning him about his behavior of late, he tells them that he has been smoking with gay guys since it is easy and free weed. They are convinced ultimately and and then ultimately convince him to rob off weed from an unassuming happily self-accepting gay man. The whole situation shakes up Frankie completely. And at the same time, his mother (who is very supportive) finds out about him as well. The film boldly concludes while Frankie is just walking on the boardwalk and still processing the fact that his life may have just changed for ever.
During the entire film, you feel Frankie’s claustrophobic world of longing. His frequently used phrase is ‘I don’t know what I want’ yet he looks for comfort and love with older men. He is gay but finds it hard even for self-acceptance. The scene when Frankie tries really hard and his best to have sex with Simone is heart-rending to watch. You know it when you are gay and your body resists sexual path with opposite sex, yet, it is expected. I have already talked enough about how awesome the actor playing Frankie is. His eyes, uncertainty what and how to do when he meets strangers speaks volumes and you feel for him. Reminds you of when you were teenager and were probably going through similar emotions and feelings growing up in a very hyper-straight environment. Drugs and alcohol are his companion to take the edge off his private turmoil. The mother tries to be supportive but its hard to bridge that generation gap and confide in her mom even when she coaxes him when he once comes back home high on drugs. Film overall is a bit slow and may remind of you ‘Moonlight’ in its struggles of a man to come to terms with his sexuality in the surrounding environment but the two films are very different from each other. This film brings to the forefront a lot of issues of our growing teenagers in a not very friendly environment, especially if they are Jobless, carless, and out of school, smoking weed, and aimlessly hanging out with fellow jocks.
A heart-rendering beautiful film that stands top-notch simply because of good direction and a very very impressive lead actor. (7.5/10)
Comments
Very nice story , a little disturbing the " assault" to the old man , to justify he goes with men it just for free weed and not because he is gay. I wish You a superb 2018.
And yes Wish you a great 2018 too