‘Gray’ is a beautifully controlled conversation on consent, relationships, blurred boundaries of intimacy, with all of them tied with an implicit, but also impactful question - are they truly blurred enough to be ignored? The title presents the idea of a lack of distinct categories, but as the story progresses, it asserts that while it is easy to dismiss neatly drawn black and white lines as gray, to eschew accountability, and instead adopt wilful blindness, things are much more clearly defined in moments of intimacy. And thus, after having established its premise, begins the film’s forward motion towards the same conclusion.
Now, the premise in itself can very easily fall in the trap of threadbare storytelling, or lacking much-needed nuance, or devolve into emotional melodrama. However, the aforementioned control, the writing, and needless to say, the strong performances, all ensure that the film achieves its goal seamlessly.
Along with it, there is also a subtle mention of the rampant pervasiveness of sexual assault or more aggressive ignoring of boundaries when it comes to the female experience, that further leads to the normalization of what is offhandedly touted as the “gray” territory, when indeed it is very starkly black.
Read LessNow, the premise in itself can very easily fall in the trap of threadbare storytelling, or lacking much-needed nuance, or devolve into emotional melodrama. However, the aforementioned control, the writing, and needless to say, the strong performances, all ensure that the film achieves its goal seamlessly.
Along with it, there is also a subtle mention of the rampant pervasiveness of sexual assault or more aggressive ignoring of boundaries when it comes to the female experience, that further leads to the normalization of what is offhandedly touted as the “gray” territory, when indeed it is very starkly black.
