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 ...
Eban returns to his hometown Christmas from Seattle. He is a bit vague about the reasons he has come (which we later find out). Killing time growing through local shops, he sees a young 15 year old handsome boy Charley and rather insistently strikes up a friendship on the pretense of swapping lessons about guitar and being lonely etc. You can tell that Eban likes him. Charley, a lonely teenager now lives with his father after his mother's untimely death, so he enjoys the attention and care shown to him by Eban. The two start to hang out, walk on beach, cycle around; till one night finally Charley makes a move and they cuddle and kiss. Interestingly neither of them really understands or is mature enough to understand the consequences. One night over a sleepover when Charley's father comes to get him, this is when Eban's father consults him. We are told that Eban had an affair with a young student of his and was hence let go. His father reminds him that he is repeating the same mistake and if he doesn't change his pedophilic behavior, he will call the police himself. Eban tries to keep his distance, but Charley reminds him of the promises he made. The film ends with them both eloping together out of the town.
As I mentioned before, here the audience is left to read, whether this is forbidden but true love or pederastic predation. (One mild, semi-clothed interlude aside, there’s no onscreen sexual activity). The makers here neither sentimentalize the story or demonize it. As an audience, honestly I was in two minds about the whole situation. Yes, due to age difference it is wring from every perspective. Charlye has likely been love deprived, so as a 15 year old he knows he wants to be with Eban (also likely because of the fact that recently two of his closest friend eloped to Florida to be with each other). Meanwhile, we can't be so sure of Eban's motives. He has a history of liking young boys, but whether he truly loves them or uses them, we don't know. We do see that Eban never makes a physical move, but still the intentions are very questionable. When Eban tries to end relationship, it is Cheryl who forces them back together. Sure, but Eban is supposed to be the mature one. Shot in video and indie, home camera style, the acting by both legs is quite decent, but one's liking of this taboo subject will be extremely subjective. The film is also a bit slow, so you gotta be patient. (5/10)
Comments