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 story takes place in 1959 New England. A biracial couple, the Millers, are invited to visit a psychiatrist and his wife, the Burkes, to help gain entrance to the social community around them. The Burkes are respected members of the community and its social structure, but this is not who they really are. Mr. Burke, a psychiatrist, is involved in homosexual relationship with one (or possibly more) of his 'patients' trying to relive an older romance when Mr Burke was young. A gay love story from past shown in flashbacks, haunts the aging Mr and Mrs Burke. A secondary theme involves the Millers’ struggles as a biracial couple, but its only significance is to highlight their role as outsiders. They have their usual issues but nothing concrete comes out of it. There are also hints of commentary on women expected to just stay at home. At one point, Mrs Burke shows the Miller wife her art while it feels like Dr Burke is trying to get into pants of the black guy. Then Ms Miller finds the doctor's young lover and hangs out with him and while everyone gets drunk and wasted. The ending is just weird.
Dr. Burke has regular relationships with men, constantly replaying the memories of the defining love story of his youth. Mrs. Burke had married him knowing the story but in her way she also wanted to appear “normal” in society. Why are they together then, is never really explained or detailed out. There is a hint of judging the interracial couple's racial status. Racism towards those in interracial relationships gets paralleled with same-sex couples dealing with homophobia. But the plot meanders from issue to issue, racism to homophobia to sexism to homophobia again to racism. Such issues are intersectional and the attempt to address them all is admirable. However, Albatross gets bogged down but all of these issues, making it difficult to tell what the film is truly about. In end, sexism and racism are brushed under the rug to focus on how homophobia ruins lives. I found myself pretty confused about the albatross at the beginning of the film and I tried my best to keep my attention but I lost interest in the plot during the last half. (3/10)
Comments