Shadowbox

One of the changes under Tricia Tuttle’s first Berlinale is the introduction of the new festival section Perspectives, which gives debut features from all around the world their very own platform. Two of these exciting new voices being spotlighted are Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi from India, who co-directed Shadowbox – with the former also having written the script and edited the film, while the latter worked as its director of photography.

The plot centres around Maya (Tillotama Shome), spread thin between three jobs and taking care of her teenage son Debu (Sayan Karmakar) and mentally ill husband Sundar (Chandan Bisht). Despite her hard work, as sole wage earner the money she makes doesn’t suffice in getting Debu enrolled in an institute and her attempt at getting Sundar back on his feet fails miserably as the traumatised man doesn’t even show up to his job interview. One night, he suddenly disappears from his home, throwing his next of kin into turmoil.

Not only is Baksho Bondi a heartfelt family drama, it subtly but effectively tackles the correlation of classism and ableism. Sundar’s condition appears a little more severe than your typical case of PTSD, but it is inevitably tied to his service in the army, an institution preying on those with little means and no alternatives. Maya’s fear of her son falling into the same trap doesn’t even need to be voiced, it is so evident from the look on her face when she is told he “better learn something that will help him earn,” rather than focus on education.

Of course, this efficacy is owed to Shome’s transcendent performance, which almost acts as a magnet, drawing the viewer into her emotional world. Her co-stars are no less impressive, both Karmakar and Bisht express themselves through their eyes, rather than dialogue. In a particularly gut-wrenching scene, Debu begs his distracted mother to pay attention to his dance rehearsal, but stops in shame, when he sees his father watch instead.

A gradually developing subjectiveness of the camera further coaxes viewers to emotionally engage with the characters. The early images are mostly still (if there is movement, it is softly guided) and wide shots even highlight the beauty in their surroundings, such as framing them within fields of flowers. But when Maya discovers Sundar missing, the cinematography turns into a shaky handheld following of her frantic search, accentuating her worry.

The only outright flaw of the feature is that it is almost too efficient in its 90-minute runtime. The filmmakers could have easily taken pause to let viewers sit with some of the developments and implications before surging ahead to the resolution.

More than just an extraordinarily competent first feature, Shadowbox is a quietly devastating reflection of human beings stuck in a system designed to fail them.

Selina Sondermann

Shadowbox does not have a release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Berlin Film Festival coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Berlin Film Festival website here.