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 ...
Teenager Link (white father and Mi’kmaw mother) lives with his father and half brother Travis. He father is physically abusive and Link is trying everything to hide the fact that he is two-spirit. When he can't take the abuse anymore, in his desperation to escape, he finds out that his father has been lying to him about his mother's death. She is still very much alive. Link runs away with Travis in search of his mother, who may or may not want him. They meet a stranger Pasmay, their angel in guard who a full-blooded Mi’kmaw and openly two-spirit, making a living by travelling around and performing traditional dances at social events. Link is uncomfortable about the situation at first, perhaps because of Pasmay’s obvious attraction to him, which he doesn’t know how to process until his younger brother tells him that he is obviously attracted to him. This is where the tourney of the trip start in search of Link's mother but in the process Link gradually lets his guard down with Pasmay, leading a tender romance whose inevitability Travis seems to be aware of before he is. He also meets many Mi’kmaw people on the way who want to help him as their own and he is slowly learning to let go off his white privilege.
The film comes with its pros and cons. I particularly enjoy films that talks about cultures, especially when we know so little about them. Combine those with a little queer angle, and you have me sold. This is definitely a huge win for this film. But there are events and scenes in this film which go on and on forever. I understand that the director wants us to show the the trio are enjoying rediscovering themselves living an outdoor life in search on Link's mother and are quite happy as well but they get repetitive after a while. I would have much rather preferred to see more scenes between Link and Pasmay than just the one scene of swim and love making at night. (Which by the way, is one of the most romantic, erotic and sensual at the same time scenes I have seen in recent times. It has that dreamy like sequence). The two leading actors have amazing chemistry and they act really well, especially Link who internalizes his struggle of his origins, his two-spirit and his inability to connect with either of those combined with the whole sexual realization too. It is not an easy role to play but the actor does an amazing job. We do have some other characters who come in and out taking in more of a mystic significance who show up just to help Link in his journey but somehow they al fit together.
So, having a tighter screenplay where we see a little less of Link, Pasmay and Travis swimming or road tripping and a lot more of that cute budding glances and romance between the two leading men would have made this film extra special. And also a shorter run time because at almost two hours of running time, it feels lot longer than it ended to be. This is a film which celebrates self-realisation and taking chances with two very charming leading men. (6/10)
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