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Nuovo Olimpo (2023)
"So time and space won't get in the way...."
Gorgeous Rome makes the perfect setting for this story of romance, lost love, nostalgia, melancholy and the "what ifs" of life. I absolutely loved this quiet, understated, touching film. Two beautiful men meet, in a way that gay and bi men often used to have to meet, and they experience a brief, passionate romance that stays with them all of their lives.
Excellent acting, cinematography and direction is enhanced with some beautiful lines of dialogue. Most people, as they get older, can probably relate to the feeling you get when you remember that love that somehow got away but stays in your heart and your memory forever.
Monsoon Wedding (2001)
Let's dance in the rain!
***Spoilers throughout!!!***
Family from all over starts arriving at the house in Delhi, the planning and preparation goes on at a fevered pace, the wedding takes on a momentum of its own as the groom arrives from Houston to meet his bride for the first time. But she's getting out of a relationship with a married man, her father has overspent on the preparations and there are tensions here and there amongst the relatives. If you think this is a typical, sappy wedding movie just moved to a different setting, it isn't!
Outstanding performances by Naseeruddin Shah as Lalit Verma, the father of the bride, and Shefali Shetty, as Ria Verma, his niece, make this a film worth seeing if just to appreciate the talent of these two actors. Mr. Shah in particular offers such a strong, nuanced performance that it makes me want to see everything else he might have done.
Of course, there is much more to appreciate here as well, and most of it has been mentioned before: The glimpse into upper-middle-class Punjabi culture, the simple yet effective hand-held camerawork, the use of color and music and dancing, the wonderful overall casting (a plethora of beautiful men and women who come off like real people) and the effective interweaving of two major subplots. As a side note, unlike some others here, I found the use of English/Hindi code switching to be fascinating and felt it lent authenticity to the film. Heck, I even learned a couple of words!
In the first important subplot, we really begin to care about wedding planner P. K. Dubey, convincingly played by Vijay Raaz. Though he is a comical and somewhat annoying character from the start, we want his courtship of Alice to succeed. When they marry, we feel even happier for them than we do for the other bride and groom. (As for those other two, it may or may not work out, but at least they'll give it a try.)
The second major subplot is much darker, involving a relative who is a child molester, yet it is handled very carefully and delicately and actually ends up making the final scene more explosively cathartic. Ria's courage in speaking out to protect a young cousin (sister?) is vindicated. The right action is taken by Lalit, regardless of his indebtedness to the molester for a lifetime of help. When Lalit effectively banishes him from the family, Ria feels the liberating protection and love of her uncle.
The weakest element of this film is its editing, especially in the first half, where we are shown scenes we don't need and which don't feel part of the whole, such as the talk show segment. As for the intercutting of the Delhi street scenes, I like the idea very much, but perhaps this is the one place where more formal camerawork was required.
Also, although it has been mentioned before and it may have even been intentional as a way of emphasizing the complexity of extended families, the viewer never feels quite confident enough about the family structure. We don't need it spelled out exactly who every single person is, but just a couple of additional lines here and there would have clarified this enough to allow us to spend less time wondering `who is he?' and more time enjoying what was going on. That said, this is an intoxicating film that just keeps getting stronger as it draws you towards its cathartic, exuberant, rain-soaked ending.
Though not flawless, Monsoon Wedding is a delight from Mira Nair. 7.5/10