For documentary filmmaker Abhay Kumar, the camera lens was his way to fight deep personal pain. When he witnessed his own brother being badly injured by a horrifying act of violence at one of India’s premier medical institute, he decided to investigate. Kumar planted himself incognito inside the campus, documenting the life of 4 students through the course of a year. Academic excellence and the resultant pressure under which so many bright young minds crumble is the pattern that he tries to investigate in his 96 min long documentary Placebo. An eye opener at so many levels, Placebo isn’t something one can forget easily. It does a remarkable job of throwing new light on complex issues about caste, the quota system in educational institutes, soaring ambition and the hovering self-doubt and depression. At the Dharamshala International Film Festival, it was received by a huge round of applause followed by a standing ovation. Placebo is definitely recommended viewing.
Looks like when the going gets tough, the filmmaker gets going! During her mandatory military service, Israeli filmmaker Talya Lavie decided to navigate her mandatory military service period, day dreaming about making a film about women in the army. Far from actual combat, she showcases young women who battle boredom and find ways to pass their time till their thankless service ends in her film Zero Motivation. It’s funny and endearing, especially the two main characters – Dafii, who dreams of living in Tel Aviv, and her best friend Zohar ,who can’t seem to find her true calling. To quote the director herself, its “a female response to the male-dominated army films genre”. Zero Motivation has a 100 percent success rate!
While the DIFF menu card for the day had delectable real life inspired stories and documentaries, the Assamese film Kothanodi stood out. Directed by Bhaskar Hazarika, it is an adaptation of 4 Assamese folktales. The magic realism, the surreal landscape, and the taut screenplay make it a captivating visual treat. But the gruesome violence depicted ensures it’s a very difficult film to watch. If like me you have a low threshold for violence, I suggest you stay away from this one.
With just one more day to go before the festival comes to a close, Dharamshala really is a film buff’s heaven.
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