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This movie is pure chaos, and I loved every second of it. It tells the story of Uma, a young bride trapped in an awkward arranged marriage in Mumbai. As loneliness and frustration build, Uma's descent into animalistic urges becomes both horrifying and strangely liberating. Visually, it's stunning-vibrant, chaotic, and beautifully unsettling. There's a surreal, punk-rock energy that reminded me of Wes Anderson on a horror binge. It's messy in a way that feels deliberate, and I admired the boldness of its style. Not every moment works, but the ones that do are unforgettable. This is one of those films that makes you feel like you've stepped into a dream-or maybe a nightmare.

"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!

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.

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.

"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.

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 !

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.

The movie is exactly what its title suggests - Nothing. If the purpose of the movie is to portray the mundane, uneventful life of the protagonist, there are many ways to showcase that than to make the movie itself dreary and mundane. The first exchange of dialogue is after 8 minutes which should put things into perspective.

The newly weds struggle to settle as the wife quickly become disillusioned with the challenges of marital throes. She takes up a janitors job that requires her to work nights, sleeping during the day. She starts growing increasingly sensitive toward sound and unable to keep food down. Thus beginning her transformation which most viewers will miss noticing till they reach the end, those brave souls that do that is. At no point in the movie does the storytelling get any better. The first ten minutes is all that's required to know the pace of the movie which is excruciatingly slow. Even documentaries have more thrill in them than this.

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.

Yeah I do like watching dark comedies, but not without storyline. It was good with background music, aesthetic scenes but what about the main thing, the driver of the movie, the main story.

Just don't make anything in name of dark comedy.

Totally disappointed.

Atleast Agra by Titli maker's was much better than this.

In trailer I was much excited after seeing the castings and was just dying out of my excitement but when I watched I just feel like giving up my favourite genre of dark comedy movies. But then I thought of some best dark comedies...Dev D, Andhadhun, Delhi belly and Titli.

Please yaarr in dark comedy se mera Vishwas na uthaaao.

I have watched plenty of offbeat and experimental films, but this one stands out for all the wrong reasons. It's so poorly made that even if someone tried to make a bad movie on purpose, they'd struggle to reach this level of disaster. The direction is baffling, the writing is nonsensical, and the execution is just plain awful. I genuinely can't understand how this got greenlit, let alone completed. Even more perplexing are the overwhelmingly positive reviews scattered across the internet-I can't help but suspect they're paid endorsements or promotional fluff, because nothing about this film warrants genuine praise...

The director watched a Kurosawa movie after getting high and decided he can be one himself. He also decided to part homage to his inspiration, but how do I squeeze in the homage. In a roadside dhaba where the protagonist stops, he shows an old dhabawala watching a japanese movie...!! It's just one of the many absurdities in a movie made a rich kid who made this movie not because he has the means but because he had time and weed.

Kudos to Apte and the crew for wholeheartedly trusting and encouraging this tomfoolery. Next time I'd request them to be a bit more judicious when gifting chances.

F#U#

I honestly can't believe Sister Midnight made it past editing, let alone to a full release. From start to finish, it's a complete disaster - messy plot, zero character development, and laughably bad dialogues. The pacing is painfully slow, and when the story finally tries to get somewhere, it crashes under its own confusion.

The horror element? Non-existent. It's neither scary nor thrilling. The "twists" feel forced, the performances are wooden, and the background score is more annoying than atmospheric.

I went in hoping for at least so-bad-it's-good, but this was just bad-bad. Not a single redeeming quality. Easily the worst movie I've seen in years - and I've seen some bad ones.

If I could give zero stars, I would. Avoid this at all costs.

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.

I have never written a review before in my 30 years of film watching.

This was so bad , it compelled me to write one !!

The director has tried to create a new genre of film by trying to mix too many things in one single film.

But each of those ingredients has been prepared so bad that the final product turned out to be a tasteless, unwatchable thing.

The director is heavily influenced by Wes Anderson when it comes to how the characters speak and behave. They speak and walk funny.

The music when existed was nothing but a bunch of misplaced english songs (mix of folk, country, hard rock).

I understand it was created on a tight budget, but in the few scenes where CGI has been used, it looked like a 10 year old kid who just learned 3d animation, worked on them.

Overall, do yourself a favour and absolutely skip this at any cost !!

I'm a great admirer of Radhika Apte. She's a great actress. But this one was a bad choice of script for her.

I've never got so frustrated in my entire 35 years of life.

I hate all the people who made it..

It's made me so irritated, tensed, waste my time.

Please guys don't waste watching this s&&&t movie ever..

Everything is worst.. Better not give this director any movie chance AT ALL. . I've never got so frustrated in my entire 35 years of life.

I hate all the people who made it..

It's made me so irritated, tensed, waste my time.

Please guys don't waste watching this s&&&t movie ever..

Everything is worst.. Better not give this director any movie chance AT ALL Waste... Waste... Utter waste..

Midnight Sister is one of those films that tries so hard to be deep and artistic, it ends up being neither. The plot is incoherent, the characters are paper-thin, and the dialogues sound like they were written during a caffeine-fueled poetry slam. It constantly throws abstract visuals at you without substance, hoping you'll mistake confusion for brilliance. This isn't thought-provoking cinema-it's cinematic noise. My sincere request to the creators: stop corrupting people's brains. We need meaningful storytelling, not pretentious chaos. We deserve stories that stimulate, not sedate.

Apte needs a 'JHAAPTE'

The story didn't quite connect with me on an emotional level, but I must say the cinematography was absolutely breathtaking. Visually, it had the charm and symmetry of a Wes Anderson film-every frame felt carefully crafted and artistically composed. The color palette, set design, and camera movements were a treat to watch, and I found myself completely immersed in the visual storytelling. That said, the CGI used for the animals felt a bit off and took away from the overall experience for me. On a more positive note, Radhika Apte delivered a stellar performance. She continues to prove her versatility with every role, and I genuinely admire her acting range and screen presence.

Uma is a chaos gremlin. Newly married to Gopal, she can't cook, won't socialize, swears her head off and bounces off the walls like she's coming down off something dodgy.

She's difficult, rude, and demanding with a overdeveloped, juvenile need to meet her own vaguely understood desires.

And then she gets sick and her whole world gets turned upside down and we follow her POV like she is the pied piper and we're stuck in a washing machine with her.

I loved this movie. I gave myself up to how surprising it was and how unafraid it was in examining female desire & dissatisfaction. The female gaze is scorching in this film and revels in subverting narrative norms. I had no idea how things were going to unfold which made it slightly unnerving. Anarchy follows our anti-heroine and there is delight to be had in the chaos that ensues.

If you can embrace the satire, humor and sheer weirdness of Midnight Sister you're in for a unique ride.

A well deserved 10/10.

Film-making, when it's little to do with film-making and everything to do with playing to the artistic crowd. The film lacks semblance. Sparse plot - repetitive, illogical, and stitched in an incoherent, strange structure - creates a slow, painful disconnect that can only be tolerated if you've made it far enough and want it to be over, so you can valiantly come out saying you sat through this atrocity. It's hard to believe that this film was imagined, verbalized, put on paper, funded, and executed, and not one person in that decision-making chain thought of holding this jarring and exhausting tripe.

No, it isn't surrealism and poetry; it's a failed third-year film school project on steroids - made to appear layered, satirical, and stylistic. A HARD avoid if you wish to save your time and patience through this "mind-numbing" garbage. A try-hard "Dombivalli Wes Anderson" cheap copy that pokes at patriarchal and social issues with the subtlety of a Lego piece stinging your feet as you wobble into your living room early morning. The film is neither absurd nor comedic nor gory nor surreal. It's a slow, dreadful attempt to impress, and quite frankly, "folds in on itself" in the first 20 minutes.

What a whirlwind of a movie! Fresh, Whimsical, Dark, Funny.

Beautiful beautiful visuals, oh-so-sweet visual framing, and masterful scene changes. You can tell it's made by people who really love films! If you are bit of a cinephile you can pick the not-so-subtle homages to different genres and even directors (postmodern and western among others!).

Radhika Apte's career best performance, which is saying a lot cause she has proven herself to be an excellent actor time and again. A total casting win. The movie would not work with anyone but Radhika!

The vibe of Mumbai has been captured very well. The unreliable narrator trope has been baked in deliciously. It's a keep you on the edge of your seat, blurs the boundaries between reality and fantasy, makes you audible gasp at both beauty and horror - treat of a movie!

Would be on a lookout for more Karan Kandhari movies. 10/10.