Dwijiri B Basumatary
New Delhi, 20 Sep 2021 15:55 IST
Radhika Prasidhha’s film is a drive through a forest of childhood memories, some joyful and some traumatic.
Appa's Seasons is a 22 minute-long film that looks at a young woman named Mano (played by director Radhika Prasidhha) who lives with and cares for her aged and senile father. The twenty-five-year-old is affectionate to him and they seem to have a relaxed and loving relationship.
We then see a flashback and begin to explore the fragmented memories of a young Mano (Madhu Sree). Her childhood was far from happy. Her father, known as Appa (Regin Rose), is a man of many shades. He is childlike and spirited at one point and a pathetic drunkard at another. Then there is the side of him that is terrifying and full of rage, a memory too disturbing for young Mano to dwell on for too long.
The sudden tonal shifts that we witness in this short feature makes us sympathize with Mano's unstable family life and her father's unpredictable moods. Shots of windows and sweeping curtains and jump cuts meant to give an emotional whiplash are present in the film.
Mano's childhood is filmed with a beautiful 4:3 aspect ratio and a grainy filter which render the images soft and nostalgic. The cinematography is sumptuous. There is a breath-taking shot where young Mano runs into a yellow-sanded ground with green trees. The camera zooms out slowly until Mano is but a small, ant-like figure who disappears into the trees. We witness beauty and innocence with the same intensity as we witness violence and destruction.
Appa's Seasons is an intense and occasionally disturbing film. Director Radhika Prasidhha is brave to have written and directed such a vulnerable story and Madhu Sree, who portrays the young Mano, does her best to keep up with the brilliant show stealer, Regin Rose, who plays the dynamic Appa.
Appa’s Seasons was screened at the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival, which was held online from 28 August to 5 September.
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