When the film opens, the first visual is of a vast expanse of a water body. On its calm waters rests a boat, and two people in it. While one of them gently rows it, the other sits with a guitar in his hand, slowly easing the viewer into soothing music - Prelude from Bach's Cello Suite No. 1. The premise that seems to have been established so far is one of an easy calm, tied with equally docile images of nature. <br><br> It is precisely for this reason that when the film reveals its true intentions, the viewer is in for a disconcerting realisation. Using the elements it has presented so far, the narrative draws your attention to the devastating effects of climate change in Assam, especially in the wake of the catastrophic floods earlier in 2020. The truth it presents forth is far from the images conjured so far, deliberately drawing a stark contrast between the beauty of nature, and the manner in which human society is gradually and insidiously tearing away at it.

Prelude Over the Flood Waters in Assam | Short Film Nominee

The film adopts autofiction to tell its story - one of a young artist who is driven by despair to take his own life. It is structured in the format of a vlog,or a video blog, where a twenty-seven-year-old man lists down the reasons that have led him to this decision. The story comes across as a plea to be understood and simply uses the monologue of its only character to make its case. <br><br> The angsty rant invokes a conversation around mental health as well as Assam floods of 2019 that ravaged the state and made headlines all over the country. It further tries to be the portrayal of an artist's struggle who found it difficult to relate with people who, in turn, could not connect with his art. While the film comes across as an honest and sincere attempt, a certain tautness of the narrative would have helped to iterate its message better.

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