Sister Midnight

First of all, what compelled me to write my first-ever review is that a film so unique and whimsical isn't rated at least 9/10. It's surprising to see so few votes, especially when movies of this flavour and depth are seldom made in India.

The story follows a married couple returning home to begin their new life together. As the narrative unfolds, what starts as a simple tale of a struggling couple slowly transforms into chaotic energy, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Uma's whimsical behavior and her reluctant surrender to her natural desires are both unsettling and mesmerizing. The film's dark humor and distinctive tone infuse every moment with depth, delivering immersive thrills.

Radhika's commitment to the character and performance is top notch. She brings the story to life with a world-class portrayal that lingers long after the credits roll.

The director's vision is clear-every scene feels crafted, emotionally filled, revised, and perfected before execution.

This film is intended for mature audiences (18+) due to its mature narrative and a brief intimate scene. If the photography and technical aspects were up to today's advancements, I would not hesitate to give it a solid 10 as a devoted fan of this movie.

Enjoy the movie but skip the popcorn this time !

"Sister Midnight" is fundamentally a social satire that employs elements of dark comedy to critique the redundant rituals and traditions which are often masqueraded or rather endorsed as societal "norms", that everybody has to adhere to.

The messages are delivered with both ingenuity and wit, addressing a wide range of topics; from age old arranged marriages, lack of empathy among community members to pollution, and deeply rooted superstitions.

People who generally appreciate such writings are likely to find it pleasant.

However, it is important to note that some may still perceive the humor as unnecessarily crass, overly stoic, or simply unfunny.

Moreover, the pacing has its problems as it dips randomly, which could lead to growing frustration.

One this is certain, this would not be everyone's cup of tea!

"Uma" (Radhika Apte) lives in a small tin box of an home with her new husband "Gopal" (Ashok Pathan). She hasn't a clue how to cook their food and neither seem to have much appetite to consummate their nuptials, so the relationship is distant and she has a bit of a temper which the rather subdued gent tends to run away from (and drink). Luckily, she manages to befriend her neighbour "Sheetah" (Chhaya Kadam) and they share stories about how useless men are whilst she struggles with the boredom of life. She eventually decides to get a job as a cleaner which breaks up the inanity a little, but she also starts to find herself drawn more and more to the animal kingdom. A passing encounter with a goat, then a bird, starts to see her question her almost vampiric behaviour. When an even more curiously tragic incident occurs, the story becomes increasingly surreal and the lines between truth and fiction become almost macabrely blurred. Apte is quite entertaining here as her aggressive and slightly stand-offish character becomes more eccentrically engaging and Pathak also delivers quite well as the hapless husband, but I found the story all too weak and repetitive for too long before the last ten minutes or so finally raise some more interesting aspects of superstition, perhaps even witchcraft, and shines a light a little on the vagaries of her tight knit community who are quick to make snap judgements. Though it's not graphic, it's not for the squeamish and it's those few scenes where most of the dark comedy kicks in, but again there weren't really enough of them to sustain this. It has it's moments and is worth a watch for "Uma" wandering lonely as a goatherd through the city beating a mop and pail, but it will look just as good on the telly.

Sister Midnight, directed by Karan Kandhari and starring Radhika Apte and Ashok Pathak, is a refreshing change from the usual formula of loud, larger-than-life action dramas. This film chooses realism over spectacle and manages to leave a lasting impact through its grounded storytelling.

What truly sets Sister Midnight apart is how it handles serious themes like gender roles, class struggles, and power dynamics. These are portrayed with subtlety and nuance, not with preachiness or melodrama. The film doesn't take sides, it simply reflects the world as it is, through sharp storytelling and strong characters.

While it may not appeal to audiences who prefer mainstream entertainment, Sister Midnight offers something rare: a well-crafted, thought-provoking film that respects its viewers' intelligence.

It's wonderful to see that, for a few years now, genre cinema that isn't made in the USA has managed to revitalize it, sometimes doing nothing more than reappropriating the codes to serve a bigger idea. It occurs to me to quote Antonio Gramsci when he said "The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born: Now is the time of monsters". Although in all eras there has been room for monstrosities that represented real problems in society, from the Cold War to McCarthyism, today seems to be the culmination of the age of the monster. An era in which metaphors have come full circle and begun to self-ironize. The best contemporary films about monsters are, in fact, about old monsters, those that have never gone away and that, by golly, are still here. Their cinematic existence is endowed with a meta contemplation that finally makes horror cinema a supreme species and language for those of us who perceive the world as it should never have been.