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 ...
Gabriel, an adult now is reminded of his childhood when he hears a catholic school's now famous choir cd. Through flashbacks we are told how he was admitted in the school run by Father Vincey. He was mesmerized by Gabriel's voice and soon he became close to the priest. A couple of students are a bit abusive to him but Gabriel soon realizes that something is off between another student and a priest. That student died in a car accident. We see how systematically, Father Vincey brings Gabriel on his side at just age 12, in the name of god , get him to accept their special friendship and never to tell anyone their secret otherwise God will get angry. We see how in the name of religion, the parents turn blind eye and have no idea on what's happening with their kid. Back to present (15 years after the incident), Gabriel buys a gun thinking of killing the priest and when they come face to face, he reminds of all the awful thing the priest did. He finds no support from church or bishop and eventually he files a case against the Father in court who gets 15 years imprisonment for his abuse of many young kids.
This well-made French film is not shy about showing all the shame and degradation of the victim, with the sanctioned cover-up for the priest, the bishop, and the whole hierarchy of the Catholic Church in its complicity of this horrific scandal. Sadly, this is still the truth that most catholic communities face worldwide, yet instead of shame for its behavior, and little or no attention paid to victims, who are now getting "paid" for years of secrecy and their own sad and undeserved shame. As far as the film goes, it is a bit slow in places, but still constantly reminds us to look out for our near and dear ones. The actors all do a good job a both leads Gabriel and Father Vincey. The father comes off as scary but the actor should be commended for taking up a difficult part. The last 10 minutes feels very rushed and how I wish there were more details shown about the case in the court and how eventually church and bishop is put responsible. Sadly, that did not happen. Still, this film is very important addition. (5.5/10)
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