The film opens with a man speaking to an unspecified listener. Is he speaking with himself? Is the conversation only inside his head or is someone truly present in the room? The silence that accompanies this monologue pronounces a sense of isolation that is also evident in the austere surroundings of a nondescript room. 

The visual development is soon juxtaposed against the endless open space of the sea. The presence of a woman conjures a suggestion of memory, and therefore, presents another imagined listener to the protagonist. By invoking the said narrative, there is a sincere endeavor to talk about the isolation and loneliness of mental health struggles. 

Pain, grief, loss, longing, all of these are suggested within the film. Though the writing might run the danger of being a little young, the performance, visuals and edit all exhibit deep potential.

In My Mind | Short Film of the Day

The story of Bound is one marked by grief, pain, hurt, but above all, revenge. It is a glimpse of a person's unraveling into delirium, derangement and everything else they can lead to. When the film opens, we are introduced to a fairly inane image - a pair of hands and a card game. These visuals are mapped against classical piano notes, allowing the film almost an operatic feel. However, this further gives way to a sense of foreboding, like the events are building towards a crescendo, a tragedy. The stillness of the house, its silence only broken by our protagonist's words of anger directed towards an unknown caller, establish and concretize this ominousness. The narrative has been honest in the portrayal of its intentions so far for the house has a dark secret, hidden deep in its cellar. Our protagonist, the seemingly solitary occupant of this house, an old woman playing cards by herself or hanging up phone calls in fits of temper, holds a man captive in the basement, one who is responsible for the death of her husband. The plot reveals all of these details slowly and without fanfare, allowing the viewer to be lured into the story gradually and organically. It is in this quiet approach that the story's objectives are realized fully, allowing the final product to be a sincere engagement with a woman's desperate and disturbingly violent attempts to deal with her grief and loss.

Bound | Short Film Nominee

The film strives to be a story of finding happiness, hope and comfort in the most unexpected ways, aiming to be specifically relevant in our turbulent contemporary times. It wants to achieve the same by introducing the viewer to primarily three characters and their struggles. Using passion, love and companionship, and a desirable job, the narrative moves from one step to another. While one character has given up on his dream to open a restaurant, the other is going through the heartache that follows a divorce. The third component of this trio is a man stuck in an exhausting job he absolutely abhors. When all of them come together for one night to help a friend with his cooking special for a show, unexpected developments and surprises await them. The message the film wants to emphasise is about hope and to never give in to despair. Life has some unpredictable tricks up its sleeve, and the narrative wants to employ a sense of festive cheer and of coming together of people as an organic whole to help one another, to further communicate its intentions.

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