Pinecone

The film demands your full attention. I watched the most beautiful love-making scenes between two men in a hall full of high school and college students, and none of us felt uncomfortable. Instead, we rooted for the character and hoped for a happy ending, even though the film was as realistic as it came. Pine Cone has one of the most unique stories, which even the most progressive Western films on queer themes fail to portray. The dialogues and verses of poetry in the film pull your heartstrings, making me want to meet the writer and whoever inspired it.

This makes me proud as a south Asian and someone who grew up watching Bollywood, that this industry is finally cathing up in telling authentic stories of queer people.

I just watched pine cone. And I was amazed that how beautiful film it is. I'm seriously shocked that this kind of deserve more.story and direction are super by onir.it's not only for a pride community, but i would like to suggest everyone that please watch once. I also requesting onir sir to release it on theatre or OTT so maximum people can watch this beautiful masterpiece. Second most beautiful thing of the film is locations and music. I'm damm sure that everyone will enjoy. I would like to say in one word that it's truly love story and full of emotions. Please please please release it on ott or theatre.

As we say Hope is like the clouds , some pass by , others bring rain !

Pine Cone is a nuanced ,beautiful and silently conversational film. As I watched it, as a part of special preview at American Centre, Kolkata, I found that it has an unique poetic quality build in through the constant interaction of humans and inanimate objects alongside it's subtle association with life,love ,realization and acceptance.

Would highly recommend this film ! Do watch it for it's authentic storytelling narrative and competent performances.

Best wishes to Onir and the team for showcasing this beautiful film !

Onir's Anirban Dhar latest film doing the rounds in film festivals and special screenings, was screened for an invited audience this evening at The American Centre in the city. Personally, I like his films not because he'd been a junior and a friend at the University or his sister Irene Irene Dhar Malik I knew before I knew him. I like them because of their honesty and simplicity.

Though Onir describes the film as a 'queer' love story told rather autobiographically, I related to it mostly as a tale of 'heartbreaks and hope' that, I'm sure, will touch any viewer irrespective of their sexual orientations. We have all been through most of them whatever the orientation.

References to 'My Beautiful Launderette' by Hanif Qureshi and relevant dialogues would possibly stir all the emotions that we all have. Be it humour, pain, anger, sorrow ... whatever. In other words, it's a story well-told. If you like to listen to stories, rather watch them, you'd love and live every moment of it. And boy o boy, he really knows how to tell stories on screen. For me, I failed to hide a tear towards the end.

Things have changed since his first film 'My Brother ... Nikhil' released nineteen years ago and Onir too has evolved with the times. The film told in three parts is aptly set in 1999, 2009 and 2019. The years are important as the first year is when the country's first gay pride parade is held in Calcutta, the second, when the Delhi High Court decriminalises homosexuality and the third year, when the Supreme Court decriminalises homosexuality once agin after the verdict of 2009 was overturned in 2012. Also, the characters as Muslim, Hindu and Christian add a separate religious angle to the discourse.

Shot on iPhone with a meagre crew of about fifteen odd people, the film is made with a shoestring budget. Arvind Kannaviran has done a great job with a tad unstable camera movements and long duration shots in places where they make a big difference to the story in contrast to the shorter shots that depict dreams and freedom through shadowgraphy by the characters in one story. Vivek Philips's music is infectious. Irene's edit stitches the emotions with precision so that the 't's are crossed and the 'i's are dotted. What's most interesting about the way the film unfurls is that the audience is kept guessing about how things would conclude till the end.

I sincerely hope that the CBFC would clear the film without any cuts and people would be able to watch it in Cinemas, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Whatever happens, I will wish that 'Into that heaven of freedom' my country will awake. Well, if it doesn't, to echo a dialogue of the young duo in the part of the film set in Gangtok, I'd say ... 'Hum saare duniya ki gaand maar denge!

A film that sheds light on the evolving landscape of queer rights in India... This poignant narrative captures the essence of first love, the harsh realities of cynicism, and the relentless fight for equality --- highlights the broader struggle for LGBTQ+ rights in India!!

Watching Sid Mehra's journey unfold on screen, I was reminded of my own first love-the excitement, the vulnerability, and the profound impact it had on my life. Sid's transformation from a proud, hopeful filmmaker to a cynical yet resilient advocate for queer rights resonated with my experiences of navigating the complexities of love and identity.

This film is more than just a love story; it is a call to action, a testament to resilience, and a vital contribution to the ongoing quest for equal rights and acceptance for queer folks in India.