Once upon a time, there was Zoe (Lily James), an award-winning documentary filmmaker, and Kaz (Shazad Latif), a doctor. Zoe and Kaz are childhood friends, with their families are neighbours. But one day, Kaz tells Zoe that he has decided to get married – that is, that he has decided…
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Polite Society (dir. Nida Manzoor, 2023)
“I am the Fury,” growls Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) as she looks into the camera being held by her sister, Lena (Ritu Arya), and then attempts a 540 kick that she hopes will be her signature move in the career she’s aiming at: stuntwoman. Ria fails, and will continue to…
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Joyland (dir. Saim Sadiq, 2022)
Saim Sadiq’s Joyland opens with a figure covered in a sheet, almost like a ghost, unable to see – this is Haider (Ali Junejo), the youngest son of Abba (Salmaan Peerzada) the patriarch of this conservative, traditional family in Lahore. But Haider is anything but conservative and traditional. He is…
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Christy (dir. Alvin Henry, 2023)
Alvin Henry’s Christy literally drops us in the ocean in its opening frames, onto a small boat where some men are fishing, and Roy (Mathew Thomas), nursing a hangover, is sick to his stomach with each wave that knocks them about. The song that plays in this moment invites us…
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Iratta (“Twin”/dir. Rohit M.G. Krishnan, 2023)
At a police station in Vagamon, preparations are underway for an event organized by the Kerala Police Housing Co-operative Society and the Kerala Government’s LIFE Mission Scheme, which Forest Minister Geetha Rajendran (Srindaa) will be attending. Police officers rehearse a song, put out chairs for guests, reporters check their phones…
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Thunivu (dir. H. Vinoth, 2023)
“This heist is MINE!” roars a man we come to know as Dark Devil (Ajith). Dark Devil is on the scene just as another gang enters the privately owned Your Bank in Chennai to, well, undertake a heist of their own. Dark Devil makes a deal with the incoming gang…
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Sandhesam (“The Message”/dir. Sathyan Anthikad, 1991)
This post first appeared on Totally Filmi on October 17, 2019. Raghavan Nair (Thilakan) has been a station master for the Indian Railways in Tamil Nadu for 30 years, and bids an emotional farewell to the community he’s become a part of — but, as he tells the people he’s…
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Malayalam filmmaker Dr. Biju returns to the film festival circuit with Orange Marangalude Veedu (“House of Orange Trees”), currently screening as part of the New York Indian Film Festival. I’ve written before that Dr. Biju’s emphasis as a filmmaker is to create films that serve to inform and advocate on…
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Balu (Suraj Venjaramoodu) and Lakshmi (Gayatri Arun) are a couple who have been married eight years, who long to have children. Balu works as an insurance salesman and motivational speaker on the subject of marriage. He and Lakshmi live in an apartment complex in Dubai, where, during the three day…
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One day, Samay’s father announces that he is taking his family to the movies. Samay (Bhavin Rabari) is curious about this – his family has not been to see a movie since he was five years old. “Listen,” says his father, “once you’ve seen this one, you’ll never watch another…
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Artesia is a small city in Los Angeles County in California, possibly home to an artesian well (there are wells in the area, hence the name), but definitely home to Vinny (Venk Potula), an underachieving wannabe rapper. Vinny feels that his creativity and confidence have been stifled after being dumped…
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