Spotlight March 26, 2024
How Not to Deal With Grief
By Ashwin Karthikeyan with 6.9
dark comedy · Short Films · hindi
The title of the film sets the first expectations in terms of its thematic concerns; the approach and storytelling ensure that their exploration does not become trite or predictable.
Vihaan is lazing in a park, consumed by his own thoughts when a phone call delivers the most shocking news - one about the passing of his school best friend Krish. Vihaan's long silence which follows as the caller continues to share her plans establishes his emotional state for the viewer - a numbness-defined quiet.
A group of their school batchmates meet at a friend’s house to share their grief and thus begins the protagonist’s efforts to come to terms with everything that he’s feeling, or rather the very lack of the feelings that won’t come. It is further interwoven with how grief means different things for different people, and for some, nothing at all. The film ropes in notable choices for the background score, along with exhibiting thought and care when it comes to the screenplay, writing, and the overall putting together of the end result as a composite whole. It leaves the door open for expanding on the already-evidenced potential and storytelling in future projects.
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