Ashmita Guha Neogi’s short was the only Indian film chosen for the Cinéfondation Selection at the Cannes festival this year.
CatDog review: Creates a dream-like world that will unsettle you
Cinestaan Rating
Release Date: 02 Dec 2019 / 21min
Sukhpreet Kahlon
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New Delhi, 18 Sep 2020 14:59 IST
Updated: 21 May 2021 2:53 IST
An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, Ashmita Guha Neogi’s short diploma film CatDog delves into the world of a sister and brother who create their own space, indulging in rules and games of their making.
The title of the film is reminiscent of the cartoon CatDog featuring a cat and a dog joined at the hip. In similar vein, the siblings in the film engage in various activities together, creating a world of their own in plain sight and yet hidden. However, their relationship is slightly askew and when the sister (Rachana) eavesdrops on her mother’s plan to send the brother away, she imagines what it would be like to be all alone.
The atmospheric film begins with a stunning shot of a tree and the girl seems to emerge from it. Foregrounding the idea of nature and biology, the film delves into the relationship between siblings as they exist outside of and unburdened by social mores. They are much like the children in fairy tales, who are together in their deeds and share a pact to maintain the secrecy of their actions. The presence of an outsider immediately shatters the cohesiveness of their world.
Neogi beautifully crafts this bubble of the siblings which is visually stunning and aurally evocative. An abstract film, CatDog pushes one to think about the seeming innocence of the games that we contrive as children, and the interplay of power and desire between siblings.
There are moments that make you wonder, like Rachana's response to the man in their home or her act of throwing a fish on the brother’s mosquito net, and coalesce to help discern her emotional temper. It’s an unsettling film and makes you want to tug at the threads to unravel what lies beneath.
CatDog was the only Indian film chosen for the Cinéfondation Selection at Cannes 2020, which is a section that showcases short films produced by film students from across the world.
CatDog is being screened at the 19th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, on from 20–27 May 2021.