Debangshu Chakrabarti

Steve McQueen's harrowing, merciless directorial debut emerges from the deep political unrest which resulted in the 'no-wash' protest and the hunger strike of the IRA prisoners during the end of the seventies...but McQueen completely avoids the political context and instead provides a vivid portrayal of the lives of the prisoners and the intolerable tortures they were subjected too, with so much artistry and precision that the whole journey becomes more and more discomforting as time passes...McQueen's signature style of stretching a particular scene up to that point of time when it becomes almost unbearable to watch is also evident, which he used in such a masterful way that another layer of discomfort gets added to the experience....aided with almost no dialogue throughout its runtime except the 17mins long take conversation between Bobby Sanders(Michael Fassbender) and a priest, the film follows visual storytelling to create each moment...which turned to be more effective and deeply impactful than any other approach possibly taken...And last but not least Michael Fassbender for his performance deserves another round of applause...the devastating physical transformation he undertook makes each moment of the last section of the film, more painful to watch...

Lee Issac Chung's Minari is a heartwarming story of a Korean family who spends their summer on a secluded farm in America and tries to make a living out of it...the film is a semi-autobiographical take on how Lee spent his childhood on his father's farm... filled with family complexities due to deep-rooted economic constraints which leads to a failed marriage and a futile family...but amongst all these Minari is all about finding the meaning and happiness in the most little and regular things that life offers us....and reaffirms our place in the family and the universe...

A deep dive into the root of Indian Classical Music…. Like Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash or Aronofsky’s Black Swan….. Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple strives to reach the most ultimate and purest and divine state of perfection,in a much slow and meditative way unlike those two….the slow yet immersive editing of Tamhane and the long shots from cinematographer Michal Sobociński engages the audience into each scene gives ample time to slowly analyze… percept each scene and dive deep into it..feel each second of it....it explores the ultimate sacrifice and surrender to the art and devoting yourself to it which makes the entire film a long peaceful meditation and leaves the audience wondering the depth of Indian culture and tradition…. -THE DISCIPLE -A FILM BY CHAITANYA TAMHANE