7 Göttinnen

Oh my goodness, this movie was amazing! I recently re-watched the movie via Netflix and still love it. The beginning scene of the movie where you are introduced to the characters and their personalities is perfect, diving into their backstory without having to do flashbacks throughout the movie. Within the first few minutes of the movie you get a sense of the underlying story beyond the main characters. I watched this movie at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) back in 2015 where, I believe, it was still looking for a major film distributor. The movie was so popular that the festival added a 4th screening and it came second for People's Choice Award (almost unheard of for a foreign movie without a major distributor going into the festival). I remember the actors being introduced with the director after the movie and the group seemed to be good friends, which helped with the on screen performance. Interestingly enough, some scenes, especially at the beginning of the movie, were almost entirely improvised and the director just kept the camera rolling (cool right?). What you get is a completely realistic friendship between the actors which helps the audience relate to the story. The story has a very strong feminist plot, but I believe this is an incredibly important story to watch with its relevance in the world today.

I too am angry. So angry. The way these women express their love towards each other is beautiful, and the anger and unhappiness they express towards their lives and their possibilities to be free in every way is heartbreaking.

We, women all over the world, know this anger and feel that love. It has to be a change coming.

I was very moved by the entire story.

Angry Indian Goddesses (2015) is an Indian movie co-written and directed by Pan Nalin. In my summary, I wrote "actually two movies." By that I meant that the first three-quarters of the film is a happy "buddy movie" among six intelligent, capable women. Each of them encounters misogyny and sexism in their day-to-day lives. They deal with this negative aspect of their lives in different ways, but none of them can avoid having to deal with it.

One of the women has returned to her home in Goa, the former Portuguese colony. She invites her friends to join her for her wedding. For the next hour-and-a-half the women sing together, dance together, talk together, and sometimes argue. There's a serious conflict between two of them. One is a local activist trying to stop the ecological destruction caused by a factory. The factory is being built by a company whose CEO is another one of the guests. So, it's not all love and laughter, but mostly that's what it is.

After the "first movie" has run its course, the "second movie" begins. This is a serious, terrible part of the film. In retrospect we might have seen it coming, but I didn't expect it. The film takes on a serious documentary-type aspect, and ends with an extremely dramatic scene. You may like or dislike the last half-hour of the film, but you won't forget it.

The actors in this film were all excellent. They played well in ensemble. Also, they are all extremely beautiful. It struck me as unlikely that all the friends would be so attractive. However, that's the decision director Nalin made. Nalin is male. I don't know if a female director would have made the same choice.

The movie will work best on the large screen, because you'll have a better feel for the scenic beauty of the Goan location. However, even if you have to watch it on the small screen, I'd still recommend it.

We saw the film at Rochester's excellent Little Theatre, as part of the outstanding ImageOut LGBT Film Festival. I suggest you seek it out and see it. It's not perfect, but it's still a great movie.

As a foreigner, coming from a country with a very high degree of gender equality, I am not native to the realities portrayed in this film, nor have I watched many Bollywood movies. Yet it is my opinion that the film in an emotionally moving and very aesthetically pleasing way,through captivating music and great cinematography, raises the important themes of women equality, emancipation and the hardship of discrimination in today's India. From the ease of the intimate dialogue among the varied women, the viewers are allowed to experience the challenges first hand, in the voice of the characters themselves. The viewer is included, almost as if he is sitting there beside them as they laugh, quarrel, debate, cry and grief ...

I loved this movie and I still listen to the songs: the "Dil dola re"is very catchy and energetic, while the "Zindagi" ("life") is profound in all its beauty and tenderness (look them up at Youtube). If you're new to Bollywood movies this seems like a good place to start, while at the same time you are exposed to a very important theme in contemporary Indian society.

There are movies that are pitched as being Feminist but preach all the wrong ideas, corrupting the progress of the actual movement. There are movies that try to inspire but make a mess of it in the end. And then there are movies like this one- talking about the right things, using the right analogies, and not mincing words while they are at it. The first half of the movie was a buddy movie- women from different parts of the country coming to Goa to be a part of their friend's wedding. These women occupy different social benchmarks, fulfill different roles in their respective positions and it is the diversity in the characters that push the movie forward. The diversity is not in their socioeconomic status or in their behavior- the main difference lies in the way they view the world. Some of these women are forward-thinkers while some ascribe to different notions about womanhood and the conversations between these women bring out a lot of positivity and understanding- serving as an example of how different backgrounds can meld together and create a beautiful congress of thoughts and ideas.

The second half takes on a different tone. The plot is darker and there are complex issues to be dealt with. The movie tries to talk about a lot of different things at the same time and at times it felt like it was going to be a hotchpotch of widely-varying topics. Thankfully, the director and the cast bring things together effectively, making it a remarkable package. The moral of the story was truly beautiful and I hope would serve to inspire people to broaden their horizons and stand up for what is right.

A beautiful movie. Definitely much better than most commercial films in Bollywood.