Sister Midnight

"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!

Where to begin with this movie? Well first a heads up; the trailer gives away nothing about where this movie ends up going. I'm not going to spoil it here although in all honesty it's not particularly interesting.

The movie opens promisingly by introducing our main characters Uma and Gopal, an unhappily (recently) married couple living in Mumbai. Uma has been uprooted from her home and moved to a place she doesn't understand.

The first 45 minutes or so are her trying and failing to get to grips with her new life with her unsatisfactory husband. The first 15 minutes are fine with nice world building, artistic cinematography somewhat reminiscent of Wes Anderson. There are some comedic elements within quite a dialogue sparse set of scenes that are essentially a series of vignettes. But then this just goes on... and on... and on. By 45 minutes in this plodding plot becomes stale and boring.

Then there is the "twist". Uma comes down with an odd sickness. It's not really apparent that this is a plot point until it is repeated multiple times and the audience eventually get the idea of what is happening by brute force.

Then things just get bizarre. I won't say any more to avoid spoiling what little novelty the film has. But it's just all so weird... and this means it's a real struggle to figure out what the movie is supposed to be about.

Such slim pickings of themes and a barren plot will be fertile ground for some (i.e critics) to come up with a plethora of interpretations that somehow rescue the movie from the yawnfest I felt it was. There has to be some reason critical reception for this movie is good right?

Unless the movie is supposed to be a modern retelling of some Indian folklore story I am ignorant of, I am really struggling to understand what it is supposed to be about. This would be less of a problem if the rest of the film has good pacing, funny dialogue or some thrills but it has none of these. It would be a difficult watch even if it was a 20 minute short, let alone a 110 minute feature.

3/10.

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.

Sister Midnight is one of those rare films that starts off feeling raw and real, and then slowly descends into something completely unexpected. What begins as a story about a woman trapped in a dull, affectionless marriage turns into a surreal, psychological journey filled with dark humor and horror. Radhika Apte is absolutely brilliant-her performance is both haunting and deeply emotional. The film's second half is wild, unsettling, and hard to look away from. It won't be for everyone, but if you're into bold, strange cinema that pushes boundaries and makes you think, this one is worth watching. It stays with you.

Greetings again from the darkness. London-based Indian artist Karan Kandhari chooses a misfit couple's arranged marriage as the basis for his debut feature film. As writer and director, Kahdhari delivers a psychological comedy that goes a bit dark at times, yet the abundance of creativity and a terrific lead performance keep us anxious to see what happens next.

Uma (Radhika Apte) and Gopat (Ashok Pathak) are obvious misfits as spouses as evidenced by their first night as husband and wife. Uma is eager to consummate the marriage, but Gopat either has no interest or is so intimidated by his assertive and forward-acting bride that he prefers to ignore her - other than asking her, "Why can't you just be normal?" With no sexual activity, and the inability to cook or clean, Uma becomes bored and frustrated, resulting in her proclaiming sarcastically, "I'm a domestic Goddess". This leads her to take 'wife' lessons from her neighbor Sheetal (Chhaya Kadam). It's here where we learn that husbands will eat any dinner if enough chili and salt is added, and more insightfully, "men are dim."

Ms. Apte brings a physicality (as well as deadpan mastery) to her terrific performance and her wide eyes convey much of her thoughts, especially as her transformation takes place. She admits, "This is just how God painted my face", yet as time rolls on, she's clearly not well physically or emotionally. This causes Gopat to step up, while also allowing filmmaker Kandhari to infuse some stop-motion animation as the level of bizarreness jumps. Cinematography from Sverre Sordal and film editing by Napoleon Stratogiannakis perfectly enhance the oddity, as does the choice of music ... including songs by The Stooges, Buddy Holly, Marty Robbins, Howlin' Wolf, and even The Band's "The Weight".

Between the stifling heat and the less-than-elegant accommodations, it's doubtful Mumbai's Tourism Bureau appreciates the setting, but for movie lovers, there is significant entertainment value with this one as it exposes the misery of being trapped. Just be careful with that cookie tin.

Opens in NYC May 16, LA May 23, nationwide May 30.