The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Tribeca Film Festival 2013

Powerless | Tribeca Film Festival 2013

Powerless | Tribeca Film Festival 2013
16 April 2013
Daniel Engelke
Avatar
Daniel Engelke
16 April 2013

Powerless is a wiry documentary that exposes the dire power shortage in Northern India.

Kanpur, once known as the “Manchester of the East,” now is sure to decay under an increasing energy deficiency. The citizens of the city demand the government subsidize electricity – especially since many children and infants lie sick in the hospital. Ritu Maheshwari, the newly appointed Managing Director of KESCO (the local power company), is not quick to provide complimentary electricity, but rather is intent on recouping the revenue the population refuses to pay and catching those who steal service. Debt collectors are amassed to track down citizens who use katiyas (finagled wires that siphon off energy from the wealthy and provide for those without). Loha Singh is the king of the energy borrowing Robin Hood bandits, and is dedicated to keeping KESCO out of his neighborhood.

Powerless is built on shockwaves and outages. The overarching narrative – a once great North Indian city now crippled by an energy crisis – is intriguing. Filmmakers Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar center on Maheshwari and Singh as oppositional characters of the same coin: the former knows such criminal behavior (though arguably justified) can only lead to ruin, while the latter believes the lack of power is nothing more than corporate corruption – and his case is difficult to argue with. This microcosm may be important, but ultimately comes off as utterly dull.

Viewers will notice offbeat editing in the investigation of the lives of these two characters, which should be interesting but is sadly inadequate. The real entertainment value in Powerless lies in the camerawork, which captures burning generators, dare-deviling through live power lines, and mass blackouts.

In the end, Powerless is ambiguous, letting viewers decide a course of action for the energy problem in Kanpur – the mark of a worthy documentary.

Verdict: ★★★★★

Daniel Engelke

For further information about the Tribeca Film Festival visit here.

Watch the trailer for Powerless here:

 

Related Items

More in Tribeca Film Festival 2013

Dark Touch | Tribeca Film Festival 2013

Martina Dechevska
Read More

Interviews with the cast of Reaching for the Moon at Tribeca Film Festival

Martina Dechevska
Read More

Interview with Laurie Collyer and Norman Reedus for Sunlight Jr.

Martina Dechevska
Read More

Interview with Naomi Watts at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Sunlight Jr.

Martina Dechevska
Read More

Reaching for the Moon | Tribeca Film Festival 2013

Martina Dechevska
Read More

Red Obsession | Tribeca Film Festival 2013

Daniel Engelke
Read More

Byzantium | Tribeca Film Festival 2013

Daniel Engelke
Read More

The Rocket | Tribeca Film Festival 2013

Martina Dechevska
Read More

Before Midnight | Tribeca Film Festival 2013

Daniel Engelke
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Eagles bring a nostalgia-laden evening to the BST Festival in Hyde Park
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Africa Fashion at the V&A
    ★★★★★
    Art
  • “He used to spit at the audience, roll on the ground, he did, in fact, hump that plastic dog – he was the original punk rocker”: Baz Luhrman, Tom Hanks, Austin Butler, Olivia DeJonge and Alton Mason on Elvis
    Cinema & Tv
  • The Princess
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Eric Ravilious: Drawn to War
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Beauty and the Beast: The Musical at London Palladium
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Terminal List
    ★★★★★
    amazon
  • Baymax!
    ★★★★★
    disney
  • St Vincent at the Hammersmith Apollo
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Beauty and the Beast: The Musical at London Palladium
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • St Vincent at the Hammersmith Apollo
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Netflix Walking Tour: From Bridgerton to The Crown, a free walking tour through the filming locations
    Cinema & Tv
  • Africa Fashion at the V&A
    ★★★★★
    Art
  • Minions: The Rise of Gru
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Red Obsession | Tribeca Film Festival 2013
Reaching for the Moon | Tribeca Film Festival 2013