Change Your Image
ronypatra
Reviews
Invisible Stories (2020)
A brilliant showcase of everyday life in Singapore
For far too long, the world outside has been treated to the dazzling and prosperous portrayal of Singapore as a socio-economic utopia. Ler Jiyuan, however, creates a series that shines light on the many unnamed migrants who fight their ordinary circumstances and live life even while keeping the wheels of the Singaporean economy turning. Reminiscent of Kryszstof Kieslowski's epic series Dekalog, Invisible Stories shines with its various portrayals and solid performances from the entire cast.
Nasir (2020)
A stunning achievement
Nothing much happens in Arun Karthick's stunning Tamil feature, and yet every shot is relevant. More than physical bloodshed, the violence perpetrated by off-hand remarks about minorities and about who deserves to live in India, is more dangerous. Which is why that climax really becomes a brutal gut-punch.
Aided by cinematographer Saumyananda Sahi, Karthick's film coils like a snake around the viewer, as it follows the life of Nasir, a struggling salesman working in a clothing shop in Coimbatore. Nasir is a devout Muslim, and yet someone who believes in the adage of "live and let live". The film perfectly captures his growing isolation by focussing on everything happening "outside the frame", in the jokes and remarks about the "other", and by doing so, it holds a mirror to the viewer's own prejudices.
I'm not sure how the CBFC will receive it, or whether any streaming platform in India will pick this up, but it's an important work that deserves to be seen by more people.
(Reviewed as part of the MAMI Year Round Programme Home Theatre initiative)
The Newsroom (2012)
Panacea for TV
I read about this show on Twitter, and then I saw the Youtube trailers....and I was hooked. I became a fan of Aaron Sorkin after watching THE SOCIAL NETWORK and MONEYBALL, though I haven't seen THE WEST WING yet. Anyway, I've seen the first 2 episodes till now, and I truly believe that, in spite of some moments when the humor runs out of steam, THE NEWSROOM is Sorkin's fast-paced, witty and incisive reply to newscasters not only in America, but also around the world, who pride ratings over content. ("We don't do good television, we do the news!")
2 other things also help... a) a strong cast (Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, Sam Waterston and John Gallagher Jr. are my favorites, though I suspect I may actually end up liking Alison Pill's Maggie act!) and b) the fact that it is airing on HBO, which has itself not gone for the ratings and placed its faith in it by giving it a second season.
More power to Sorkin and his ilk! :)