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 ...
In the 50s, Francis Bacon was a famous painter where the subject was the human body seen in anguish and ugliness. He liked a crowd at lunch and didn't mind picking up the check and him along with his friends used to frequent a club with a roomful of bohemians--some rich, some poor, some gay, some straight, all drunks. One night while he is sleeping, a burglar George breaks in through the skylight, who knows nothing about him or his paintings. Bacon awakens and makes him a deal: "Take your clothes off and come to bed. Then you can have whatever you want." George stays on as Bacon's lover. Bacon likes to get dominated by George in private but he is a sort of sadist in public. Their relationship grows but eventually part of both grows tired of the other one. Bacon begins belittling George in public for his lack of sophistication, locks him out while he entertains other rough trade and is scornfully dismissive about his suicide attempts. Increasingly more locked into drug- and alcohol-induced altered states, George finally does kill himself, as Francis is toasted at the exhibition in which his lover is the subject of some of his most celebrated paintings.
The film is supposed to be a gay classic with actors like Craig Daniel playing George. He brings a certain innocence yet trouble in the portrayal of the character. We do get a brief glimpse of his penis. Derek Jacobi (from Vicious) plays the painter, and does a damn good job. The problem is I was just never invested in the film itself. The direction of the film is done in a very different style with use of distorting lenses, abrupt, angular close-ups, reflective surfaces and split-screen devices to convey both the couple's dislocated world and the style of Bacon's painting is bold and inspired. Yet dramatically the film is less successful. Even the dialogues are not very normal. Somehow this was not my cup of tea. (3/10)
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