A Day in the Life: Brickfield

The short documentary introduces the viewer to two characters - a thirty-five-year-old man called Pappu, and an eleven-year-old boy called Shiva, both of whom are labourers at a brick factory. Though the narrative does not establish a direct connection between them except for their place of work, they almost bring in a suggestion of the past and the future for each other.

If Pappu mentions being forced to abandon his education as a child to be able to make ends meet for his family, Shiva too shares his experience of having been a student until very recently. Parroting away words about fate and destiny, perhaps fed to him by an adult, he seems too young and unaware to be able to truly comprehend or articulate his experience so far.

However, the unease, also undeniably disconcerting for the viewer, is made clear in something as simple as a deep sigh. As for Pappu, he has spent the better share of his life with his tribulations, now having accepted them as the normative order of his life. Though the film could have gained from a more organic connection between its two characters to be able to enhance itself further, it unfolds notably within its limited resources, has powerful subjects, and exhibits vision and a smooth edit.