Aarushi Krishnan
Never before has a film enthralled me in this way. Watching a sofa fall in love with a woman was everything I have ever expected from cinema, and more. As far as I can tell, the plot is non-existent, and none of the actors seem to realize that their job is to deliver a believable performance. My first time watching this movie was one of the top five movie-watching experiences of my whole life. Yes, the sofa and the woman have sex.
Growing up, old Hindi and Tamil movies were always playing in my home, and ‘Madhumati’ was one of them. A simple enough story that was captured beautifully. I’m always appreciative of Bollywood films that try to break the mold of conventional Indian storytelling and the over-dramatic acting style that has become a staple in the industry, and ‘Madhumati’ does both. The final supernatural twist seemed well-earned.
Interestingly, the monopoly that mainstream Bollywood has in the Indian market means that most Hindi parallel cinema is more popular internationally, rather than locally, which is such a shame. Satyajit Ray is considered one of the most important figures of independent Indian cinema, and ‘Devi’ is my favorite movie by him. For a film released in 1960 in India, its takes on power- female, religious, colonial- were groundbreaking. I found the cinematography gorgeous, especially the extensive use of chiaroscuro.
Watch Puparia here
A short film, and perhaps my favorite short ever. Each frame was hand-drawn with colored pencil over three years, and the resulting three minutes is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Each time I come back to it I see something new. Also, I adore Steve Reich, and loved the use of score. I still don’t know exactly what it means, and I like it like that.
At times the witty writing of ‘Princess Mandane’ feels surprisingly modern. Germaine Dulac is perhaps best known for her surrealist lesbian and feminist shorts, and ‘Princess Mandane’ applies her interests wonderfully. The costuming was terrific, the cinematography even more so. Dulac was doing things in the late 20s surrealist filmmakers are still trying to emulate today. I’ve always loved the way she captured female bodies.
Last and least, whatever this was. While 'Killer Sofa' was so bad it was great, this film was so awful it was brain-rotting. I watched it on a date; there was no second date. Some of the horror was alright, I suppose, but the final plot twist was so awful it derailed the whole operation. It rocked my world in a way I never wished it to be rocked.