‘Kamen’ is a brief glimpse into the rut a man is stuck in, something which could be the lived reality of anyone who finds themselves entrapped within a capitalist machinery of mundane, and perhaps even oppressive, repetition. The unnamed protagonist simply wears a mask to offer this sense of relatability to the viewer, to suggest his story could be the story of any viewer. 

Through his misadventure of missing a train, his desperation to catch it evident in the mad rush he makes after it in his formal attire, all of this is portrayed for the viewer. Locating the protagonist in an urbane reality, the message is driven home further. However, ensconced within all of these elements is an invincible moment of freedom, which is achieved by the smallest of actions, the narrative suggests. Notably, the entirety of the plot unfolds within an experimental space, while employing efficient visuals.

Kamen | Short Film of the Day

Himangshu struggles to find his voice, standing and agency in a house that is closely controlled by an austere uncle. Despite all his attempts to have a life of his own in Germany, a country far away from home in India, he is located between a rock and a hard place, and soon the consequences of his inability to act begin to overwhelm his lived reality. 

In the process, the film offers a trajectory of growth, a young man’s struggle to forge his identity, and fight for what he truly desires in a foreign land, while also courting the many vagaries of life that his mother is quick to remind him of from the home he has left behind. 
The narrative, though not without a little roughness of execution, exhibits vision and a notable desire to weave a narrative which is heartfelt and honest. It definitely leaves the door open for more similar endeavors, a prospect to look forward to.

Breaking Free | Short Film Nominee

‘Falling Free’ is a conversation with the fluidity of water, and all that it can potentially stand for. In the film, it suggests a sense of weightlessness which, when tied with the title, further invokes the idea of freedom. 
A character dances underneath the surface in semi-darkness, allowing the flow, the shadows, the smoothness of it all to become one with them. The ease of the movement is further pronounced in the choreography that develops before the viewer. 

The experimental narrative operates entirely within the space of metaphors and abstraction. The viewer is presented with the tools, but then the journey of constructing the narrative and its intentions is left up to them. It would be interesting to see future projects that build on the seed of the idea presented in the film.

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