I didn’t quite make notes on 20 scenes, but I managed to get to the end of Act One. Enough to give myself the reward. The movie was showing at Kimball’s Twin Peaks, which used to be The Peak Theater when I was a girl. They’ve divided it into two theaters and now serve wine and fancy coffees, but they also show great films no one else airs, and the setting is agreeably retro.
All the words I keep coming up with to describe the movie are too pale to do justice to the pink and marigold yellow of it. I love Mira Nair’s use of color. I love the music she chooses. She presents human relationships with great tenderness, vast love.
And I love that Indian movie stars are not all perfectly perfect. Heartrendingly beautiful at times, but all the more believable and engrossing because I believe in them as real human beings.
Go see it. Come back and tell me you did.
I’ve been lurking here for a while, love your books so thought I’d finally make my presence felt. Loved the movie for all its nuances, its tiny moments and its lovely detail. I didn’t look for any connecting theme somehow, it was good in all its diversity. The relationship between Ashok and Ashima I thought was just so well executed, and for me the cornerstone for the film. Surely that is the love one looks for, the comfort in each other, the solidity of those two and the growing ease. If you liked this, you should definitely see Nair’s Monsoon Wedding, it’s a bit more lighthearted and incredibly fun. It’s also set in Delhi, where I live, and I love the little cameos of the city in it.
T.M.
Welcome, T.M. Yes, the relationship between Ashok and Ashima was beautiful, from the very first moments. I loved the shoes. I loved both of the characters–the life and gentleness and *honor* of them. The book is on my desk, but I haven’t managed to get it read yet.
And I saw Monsoon Wedding a little while back–my favorite romance there was the one between the wedding planner and the girl who helped in the house. I can’t think of a movie with more color.