Court (En instance)

I heard of this movie through various critics and decided to catch it at nearby cinema hall. The experience was a total satisfaction.

The movie is a satire on Indian judicial system and has been dealt with so beautifully that it neither delivers the message on the face nor it becomes offensive at any point. It is an absolute gem. Though the movie is in Marathi language the subtitles attached to it help an average moviegoer.

The movie does not have too much of moving camera shots and in most of the scenes, director just places the camera at one location and the events unfold in a still frame. This is such a wonderful piece of art that despite no known faces and no fancy camera work the movie works. Not just works but its bang on target.

I would strongly recommend this movie to any sane and rational movie buff for quite a few days to come.

Saw this at the Rotterdam film festival 2015 (IFFR), where it was part of the Bright Future section (and indeed, it deservedly belonged in that section). In short: Very well done, in all respects. We get an inside view in the Indian legal system and also in normal life there, the latter while we follow opposing council and see how they live outside the court. And in the final scene, when the case is all over, we also follow the judge on a family trip. This final scene is somewhat detached from the core story, but its purpose becomes clear when seeing the judge on a holiday trip in family circles. It seemed a loose end, but fits nicely in the setup, after all.

The Indian legal system is portrayed very well and (as far as I can see) objectively, not leaving a bad impression behind. Prosecution and defense council act believably and competently, and each gets their say. The judge on his side goes strictly by the book. That being his role in the proceedings, I have no problem with him either. The police force is portrayed less positive, if not merely incompetent, showing tunnel vision when locating suspects and witnesses. Interestingly, typically Indian I assume, we see laws quoted from the colonial age. This is remarkable but apparently a fact of contemporary Indian life. And, as judge agrees with prosecution, it IS current law hence applies in this case. In the final Q&A, the director confirms that many laws are outdated, requiring interpretation to establish what they really mean nowadays.

I noted two loose facts from the Q&A. Firstly, the slum area we see when one of the witnesses is brought back to her family, looks true to reality. Nearly demolished places like that coexist in the same city. Secondly, as far as the actors are concerned, we learn that 90% was non-professional. For that reason, Narayan's songs are playbacked.

To conclude: Some people in Western countries may find nearly two hours running time overly long, but it did not feel that way. I think that is caused by mixing court scenes with family scenes outside the court room. As such, we see the formal proceedings indoors next to what happens outdoors in personal lives of councils and judge. Intermixing these two worlds works very well. Indeed, the story seems to drag some of the time, just like the actual court case does, but it did not hinder me at all, as there were ample developments, and last-but-not-least interesting local folklore that we would never had the chance to see if not through this movie.

Chaitanya Tamhane's Court approaches many fascinating and bitingly topical subjects for a constantly changing India. When those to the west think of India, we often imagine the hustle and bustle depicted in Slumdog Millionaire coupled with the energy and glittery elegance of Bollywood movies. Court is a slower burn with incredible wide cinematography that captures a disquieting stillness. It's almost like a political thriller where no-one can be trusted, but it's not a film that relies on tension or conclusions. It studies the westernisation of Indian culture through its network of characters, darting between the folk singer Sharmila Pawar and his 'Americanised' defence lawyer Vinay Voya, but without peeling back their layers. It's not interested in the characters as people but what they represent in the situation, wherein Pawar is being tried for inciting a man to suicide through his songs.

Instead, it contrasts the old with the new, with Indian traditions and the updates of the youths, aesthetically and with their behaviour. The courtroom drama prods at this aspect with old laws being questioned for being outdated and how they should be reconsidered. It seems a lack of compromise is also part of tradition and is something that contemporary Indians wants to implement. The film also studies the effect of art, questioning whether folk music can really change a government and if it does influence bad things incidentally, can it be held accountable? The power of poetry is a strange thing in a world drenched in culture. What counts as a performance when art is so fluid? Where do we draw the line between coincidence and crime? Court is a very dry but very thought-provoking and highly intelligent film that raises important questions about the world we live in, albeit it could've been improved by a bit more character work and a concise ending.

8/10

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RATED 8/10 Language: Marathi Source: Netflix RECOMMENDED Well crafted drama about court room and the persons in court room. Too much of artistic and slow but its perfect.

The real life and court life of different characters and their views of personal and court life.... the climax is the big slap on citizen's face... the last 15 seconds tells the story with superb impact.... Must watch...

I loved this film for it's simple and real depiction of Indian courts.

This is as close as it can get in depicting how the Indian judicial courts deal cases. Please note that this film is not exactly about a particular case, but it was more so a comment on how the judicial system works in India. Although, a case was taken to represent the judicial procedures, I looked at this film as a showcase of the process in itself.

There is a lot of reflection of reality which is a rarity in Indian films. We have camouflaged films or those which in the name of depicting reality show us the perspective of makers. The best realistic film was "Black Friday" as per me and this comes the second best. Second only because it did not have an engaging storyline or one that we would be keen to know, All it has, is a case at best about a man who is accused of raging emotions.

This is a Marathi film and I commend the fact that Marathi films have come a long way. They have made films like "Shwaas" "Deool" and many others which are like the reflection of the possibility of Indian cinema. Sadly, very few films have explored Indian emotions, Indian mindset and told Indian stories with utmost honesty.

I applaud the director Chaitanya Tamhane for not putting in any drama and also from refraining from any commercial elements and showing things as they are.

Performances are true to the characters by each one. From a sweeper to a lawyer and judge, everyone played their role as they would live it if it was their own life. The camera was used as a tool to capture the happenings instead of making anyone conscious of its presence.

I am going with 4/5. Loved it but I doubt if I would sit through this another time.