mrwildgoose

You kinda know from the get go, that things wouldn't be ending well in the movie.

Everyone is constrained, though they do seem to get by on simple joys early on. And people are kind to each other, bit that cannot keep the heavy weight of regressive societal and traditional beliefs from closing in on them.

An elderly man who is ailing but still insists on implementing obsolete patriarchy. And who doesn't even have the courage, ironically, to meet love halfway when someone offers it to him. His elder son obsessed with having a male offspring after several girls. The wife who constantly agrees to this even though her hands are full with the previous kids. The younger son, who is later revealed to be gay, but is in an arranged heterosexual sham (for him) marriage. His lover, a trans woman, who would rather give up on love than go against established gender roles in the bedroom. And the vivacious wife of the younger son, who tries her best to make the most of this demanding situation.

Predictably, there doesn't seem to be much by way of escape routes.

One wishes that at least one of the characters would have shown some spunk.

Great performances, and direction. It'll stay with me for a while.

From all the hoopla and hype, I thought it would be a memorable viewing. But it gave me a headache. I constantly deliberated between sleeping and continuing to watch. And though I did finish it in the hope of some grand reveal, sleep would have been much more satisfying.

Simply put, it's neither a thriller, nor a drama. It just labours on, for two and a half hours. There are much more intriguing everyday movie dramas, and there are, of course, much more entertaining thrillers. It's as tepid as the ending. Underwhelming.

But, fantastic performance by the lead. And also, good enough direction. But the editing could have been tighter.

I would not recommend.

It wasn't like watching a movie, it was like experiencing life. Perhaps women experience life by being (the director is a woman), and men by achieving. Because it felt like I was immersed in life itself, and not racing to a conclusion. It was a cross section of different lives, at a particular point. And though characterised by huge upheavals, there was stillness throughout. You cannot miss the analogy with the sea, which is a constant presence. Warm and inviting, or lethal and threatening in turn.

Beautiful locales, and Excellent performances. Understated, but spot on. But I thought the ailing mother was miscast. She looked out of place, and far from looking sick, she was positively glowing.

There's some jarring brutality towards animals and plants, perhaps as a reflection of our impotency in preventing death.

All in all, the island will stay with me for a while.

Mountains and seas, cops and criminals, fog and clarity, togetherness and solitude, but most importantly, deceit and manipulation versus integrity and uprightness. But it isn't so much a conflict, as a confluence. At it's heart, it's about hearts.

People fighting for a precious love in ways that they only know how. Either through deceit, or conversely, through self sacrifice.

Apparently, the movie is inspired by a song from the sixties - 'I walk alone, along a misty road' - and the song perfectly describes the core of the movie.

A romance doomed from the start, but for which they give up their all.

"I like you because you're so upright".. despite it all. And I like you because you shattered yourself for me, despite it all.

I thought it was a brilliant film, not in the movie making art per se, but in the thoughts being showcased. The movie making art itself is very thoughtful and considerate though, shifting from a thoroughly objective legal police lens, to subjective appreciation of love in its various forms, to the objective understanding of such love personally, to objectively understanding infection and how it might be symbiotic even and how it might drive us, to understanding human motivation, to calling out hypocrisy and human apathy, to understanding our deepest desires through philosophy. The movie takes an intellectual scalpel and cuts through it all.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

I quite enjoyed the movie - especially it's tenor. Random, brutal, truthful. Very 80's, in feel and look.

I understand the vulnerable child within everyone, as well as the werewolf, when provoked or when the pain is too much. Life is hard, especially for a queer person. And even more so when other people dump their thoughtless bigotry upon you. And just crush that beautiful, joyous child within. But redemption is not to be had by lashing out at bigots, but by tuning into your guardian angel, and thus your higher self.

It's a musical, and the music was top notch. Especially "Fruit", which is a beautiful ballad!

Just when you thought you knew where the movie is headed, as you come upon an obnoxious young man, the story opens up, and roles shift. And you're reminded that humans are interestingly grey. Excellent perfomance from the lead - you'll know who it is when you see it. A story about co-dependency, enmeshment, toxicity, growing up, growing apart, reconciliation, youth, life, humans, animals, friendship; and some music, food, business, enemies, nature, beauty, art too. I loved a scene wherein light falls alternately on a man's face, in a pub, to convey his pull of emotions. In fact, I loved almost every frame of the movie. Quite enjoyable!

It didn't feel like a movie; more like it was about someone that I know. Or that I was present in their life. Because this a story that plays out in a lot of South East Asian, and South Asian places. And also because the camera would look in through windows, and other personal spaces. And as the lead's world strated closing in on him, the screen size closed in for us too. As if we were seeing everything through an insistently personal view. Because he was - his survival depended on it.

It's an excellent movie, not only technically, but also in it's performances. Especially the lead. You just felt so much for him.

And I was happy for him, when the screen finally enlarged again, after he took back control of his life. As best as a beleaguered 15 year old could.

Everything flows in the movie. Everything is fluid. Fluid professions, fluid nationalities, friendships, sexualities, relationships, values, priorities. But the flow is bridged with gentle grace, even with the most ruthless realities.

I really wanted to wish all the characters the very best, but I needn't bother - because they seem quite capable of gritty survival. Most of them. All in all, it's about sadness, wistfulness, resignation, persistence- all captured in the lead's eyes. Good movie.

P.s - I really hope people don't straight-wash the male bonding and intimacy. It definitely adds to the film, and I hope it isn't hijacked.

Some guy's lethal vendetta against people who hurt his girlfriend after he messed up his job, and shot some girl instead. The irony. And we're supposed to relate to this empty character? Especially when he also proceeds to kill innocent people like random cab drivers? The other characters are also dimwits, for all their sophisticated talk. Apparently, no one can hold a candle to this paranoid assassin, Not even other killers. Who are equally inept. Even when paired together. Our guy meanwhile takes great care to hide himself for security cameras at some points, but throws all caution to the wind at others. And keeps himself busy by patronising the audience with fake philosophy. That's the worst - the empty words trying to be passed off as profundity.

Don't let your time be killed by this movie.

It's an exploration of an undying love and deep longing.

Something that 'the heart never forgets', come what may. One can do everything to throw roadblocks in one's own way, or detour to distractions, or run away, but the heart is relentless in what it desires.

Good performances from everyone, very believable characters - one could feel the deep ache throughout the movie. But the ending was a bit of a letdown. One would have thought that the sheer force of their feelings would get them to merge, but they inexplicably sabotage themselves again. Though there is an opening left for possible future interaction, the movie actually cuts to an alternate possibility, in the past, when things could have been pleasantly different for them. I wish they had fought for love.

It's based on a true story, so I guess they didn't take liberties.

50 year old, all at sea on land. His mom sets him up for marriage and rebukes him like a teenager.

It's a story about a man trying to find himself - through coaches, intellectual superiors, love, passion and most importantly, and most underratedly, through kindness to others. The guru turned out to be a fraud, the intellect (the professor whose life he saved) was selfish though it did save the protagonist from the guru and pointed him to a path of practicality. Love was uninspirational eventually (the girl) and he ditched it, with enough kindness, in a rat poison jar. Passion (the criminal) turned out to be downright dangerous, though he did tame it in the end. Through all of these trials, he remained true to himself, and eventually he did find himself.

A very good performance from the lead actor.

Well, it's a movie with good intentions, but it's just not worth the time. A neurodivergent protagonist, who doesn't seem too consistent with the condition, a smart 'escort' who cannot see through this protagonist and spends seemingly strained but pleasant enough days together (I failed to see the attraction), a too gracious mother who leaves the protagonist for a faraway place to heal others, and a jerk'ish step dad, who ultimately seemed to be the only person left in the protagonist's life.

The moral might be to help others, and so I am helping you, and the movie team - we are all catchers in the rye, some more than others. This movie is for you, if you have all the time in the world, and in a very isolated part of the rye field. It's relevant, yes, but perhaps not for everyone.

I thought it was a below average movie, regardless of intentions.

Stupid movie A regime that picks on women and children, especially pregnant women. A heroine that doesn't know how to feed milk to her newborn and that too after she has already raised a child. She doesn't have a clue about how to express milk. It also doesn't occur to her to drill a hole, after it was done before, right under her nose, and when she finally thinks of it, she makes a huge hole instead of one she can barely fit through. Then she proceeds to throw the drill into the water. Like she does a lot of other useful things. Doesn't occur to her to keep her mobiles dry in the Tupperware. Or that Tupperware can be used to make a big enough raft for an adult, along with the wood planks. She throws the Tupperware overboard. Also doesn't occur to her to try eating the Snickers bar first instead of her placenta. And how deep could a gash be that she needs to sew it up. More useless drama. Like a continuously bawling baby, and a husband that apparently dies, resurrects and dies again without adding anything to the plot. And who takes their baby along to investigate when you hear a thud outside your vessel? Like I said - stupid.

It's a rich movie - rich with an assortment of feelings, but inspirational in that the human spirit surmounts. Taiwan is the first asian country to legalise same sex marriage, and that fact is woven into a traditional concept of a ghost marriage. The story unfolds in this marriage of two marriage concepts. Beautiful story. Some moments are touching, some just jump out of the screen in absolute hilarity. Nothing much gets lost in translation, in the subtitles. Though, I suppose, it must be even better in the original. Good performances by both the leads, and good chemistry too. I felt for both of them, and I didn't want the story to end. Would love to watch a sequel.

It's a feel good movie for the most part, but would have been great if it ended in some sort of redemption for the characters. Also quite a few logical loop holes. Wouldn't you be able to trace someone's identity from their bike number plate? Even if it's a rental (unlikely, since he had a helmet). How could you be certain that someone is holed up in a certain set of buildings? Could he not have gotten away that first night? Who comes back for a dinner party when their life is on the line? Would you not take out the ace shooter first? And the ending was totally improbable. Went from a buddy rom-com to a dark drama in minutes. Unsatisfactory climax.

I just found it heartbreaking that Joe's character had to suffer being unceremoniously blocked by the person he deeply loved, whom he remained devoted to for years (imagine the commitment to wait for Christmas every year to just be able to "see' her from a distance), being cheated upon by her, being cheated by his workplace friend, being cheated out of an offspring, being treated unfairly by his 'father in law', being cheated on by a this newer workplace friend who used him to save his own skin and finally being punished for accidentally killing someone, almost in self defence. He never really had a chance.

I really hope that in an alternate reality, he gets out of prison and comes to terms with the fact that these people in his life had been garbage, and that he is better off without them, and that he finds peace.

It's a good, good movie. Except for the implausible central premise. You can't just take away someone's years and transfer them to someone else. Maybe they should have worked on that part a bit more - perhaps around telomerase enzymes or something?

Also inexplicable was the sudden, abrupt change of heart of the male protagonist, at the end. It didn't make any sense, especially since the female lead had not only saved the girl's life once, but the girl had attempted to kill her point blank once. That makes her owe the doctor some years definitely. It isn't as if the girl would die. Her mom would get her a donor anyway. I liked the absolute steely resolve of the doctor there, and her self love.

Apart from this, the movie covers most bases. It's well thought out. Good performances. And I adored the love story. It just didn't need to end.

Just watched it.. it was okay, in that everyone eventually found redemption.

Good perfomances. I especially loved Gina McGee in it.

Maybe the direction could have had a few more pauses - seemed a bit rushed, in places. Would also have been nice if there was some passing mention about how the characters developed in time, over the years.

The 'moral of the story' might be - not to lie to others (cop), not to try and force things (teacher) and to have your wits about you, even if your heart's in the right place (curator). The curator already had courage, and the other two characters also found courage (to be genuinely happy) in the end!

A quote from the movie - "The pace of change is a source of frustration for just about everybody. If you're a radical, then change is happening much too slowly for you. On the other side, if you're a conservative, you're watching everything that gives your life depth and meaning washed away. And its that experience of being threatened by this change that gives fascists fertile ground in which to spread their poisonous ideas."

Excellent filmmaking - documentary like (with historical footage), but also with storytellers, and some very moving love stories at the centre.

Lot of food for thought for the queer community about how an idyllic period can overnight turn into horrific devastation. And also about where our priorities lie - to be foolhardy and to go along with evil only to be fatally betrayed like Ernst Rohm; or to make space for oneself, and a whole lot of others, and to grow authentically, like Magnus Hirshfield ? And in some irony, Rohm was perhaps more overt about his homosexuality than Hirshfield.

Also about how redemption is mostly an inside job - because even several decades after the war, the queer community still faced legal persecution in W. Germany. (Not that Alan Turing had it any better, on the other side)

With a name like that, you might be forgiven for thinking that it's a gentle romance. By the end of it, you might need therapy though.

Calling it gritty would be an injustice. It's one of the most brutal movies I've watched in recent times.

I watched it in two seatings, and at the end of which, one small part of me wanted to curl up in bed, while the other bigger part wanted to challenge the director - is that all you got? Bring it on.

But during the movie, all I wanted to say was "Enough already". To both characters, in turn. One for continually, unabashedly letting out his pain, and the other for endlessly absorbing it. In some toxic codependency.

Good job by Aadish Kesulkar.

Watch it at your own risk!

It's interesting.. and entertaining.. but not really clever. Also, it felt a bit disjointed in places. Like the director was spoilt between going for a comic thread, or choosing the thriller thread. The humour was forced, in places.

The performances were excellent. Huma Quereshi is perfect in her role as a femme fatale. I especially enjoyed Sikander Kher's cameo. He was brilliant in one particular scene between him and the lead. Radhika Apte was good too, as were the other actors.

Music was another important character in the movie, and it delivered too.

Enjoyable watch, but I was a tad disappointed.

I thought it was brilliant.

Very endearing lead character in the first story, with bits of humour showcasing deeper issues. Even with shades of grey, the story had 'good people' in the rest of the cast too. The actor did a good job of portraying being lovelorn.

The second story is a period drama from the 80s. A coming of age love story where, when you just expect a predictable, sad outcome, the story moves forward with hope and strength.

As does the third story. Though the story 'device' seems a bit forced, the actors were earnest and the story itself doesn't force a run of the mill happy ending.

All three 'unspoken stories' point towards personal growth and self love over romantic love, and it was very refreshing.

Very good performance from Lima Das, and ably supported by the cast.

It's a movie that gets increasingly disturbing to watch, with the only redeeming factor in the end being love.

One can't really cut off muscle and tissue repeatedly from ones body without being seriously ill. Some other parts of the script also felt a bit lame, like the impromptu murder, the inability to make do with a ready corpse etc., by a doctor no less. I was half expecting the doctor to cook an abortion, which would have been easier for her.

Overall worth a watch, if only for the unique macabre feeling that it elicits.

Opens with a CGI dead African water Buffalo... In the middle of the Thar desert. Both Kapoors look out of place, with the younger being unbelievably stiff. Still he's celebrated as having "Hollywood hero looks", "deep eyes" and has foreigners hitting on him. The only saving graces are the beautiful locales and the beautiful Fatima Sana Saud who leaps out of the screen with beauty and performance.