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One Movie Punch


Aug 21, 2019

Hi everyone!

Welcome back for another Certified Fresh review. Actually, every single film this week has been Certified Fresh, although we’re seeing a spectrum of quality within that certification. Today, we have film that crosses a lot of diverse film scenes, including Germany, India, and the United States, and distributed by Amazon Studios. For a few other Amazon Studios features, check out “The Handmaiden” (Episode #122), “The Big Sick” (Episode #007), “Brad’s Status” (Episode #075), “Human Flow” (Episode #074), and “Late Night” (Episode #545).

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from the Comics in Motion Podcast. Every week, Dave and Chris tackle a film based on a comic book. Don’t miss their recent episode on Zack Snyder’s “300”! You can connect with them on Twitter and Instagram @ComicsinMotionP and on Facebook @ComicsInMotionPodcast. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

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Here we go! 

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<< COMICS IN MOTION PROMO >>

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Today’s movie is “Photograph”, the Amazon Studios romantic drama written and directed by Ritesh Batra. The film follows the unlikely relationship between Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a street photographer, and Miloni (Sanya Malhotra), a college student, both being pressured to get married by their families. After Rafi sends a picture of Miloni to his grandmother (Farrukh Jaffar) to deceive her about a potential marriage, he asks Miloni to pretend, until his grandmother returns home.

No spoilers.

Before I get into the film, I have some thoughts about the odd position of streaming services producing films, largely for their own subscription services, and how that affects both box office turnout and viewership. For example, Netflix’s “Roma” (Episode #352) barely took in anything at the box office, yet because of Netflix’s ginormous audience at home around the world, was able to produce a film worthy of the many Oscars it received. What used to be a strong indicator of a film’s critical success has been short-circuited around the theatrical viewing experience, for better or worse.

“Photograph”, while not solely an Amazon Studios production, was definitely an Amazon Studios distribution, and rather than spending a whole lot of money on a theatrical distribution (just long enough for award consideration), they have now made it available to their similarly ginormous audience at home around the world. And without having to pay extra to see the film, does that mean more people end up seeing it? And more importantly, more critics like myself outside the LA and NY markets? I’d say yes, in the case of today’s film, and I think that will ultimately help the film in the long run.

While multiple film industries contribute to today’s production, “Photograph” can definitely be considered a Bollywood film. In retrospect, I should have kicked this one over to One Movie Spouse, but we did have the pleasure of watching it together, and I was struck by our different takes on the same film. “Photograph” is one of the many films taking a modern look at arranged marriages within India, in this case, both from a Hindu and a Muslim perspective. Amy really enjoyed the characters, learning about their lives and concerns, particularly Rafi’s show-stealing grandmother, who brings both comic relief and wise insight to each situation. I also liked the characters, finding more and more depth as both Miloni and Rafi continue their charade. But they also begin to fall in love, and we’ve seen this story before, easily a hundred times in Bollywood. So, while Amy was enjoying the story and characters, not to mention the incredible locations and colors, I was taking a deeper look at the themes.

Photographs, much like Rafi sells them to tourists, are an attempt to capture a moment in time. My family and I recently hit up an amusement park, and we took a ton of photographs, trying to capture the feeling of the adrenaline and the crispness of the fries and the sweetness of the funnel cake. The photographs end up being triggers for our memories, which become the stories we tell ourselves about the day, and are used for the stories we tell about ourselves to other people. Rafi and Miloni meet over a photograph, and they each remember that moment differently, both in the immediate aftermath, and as their relationship deepens. Those stories are no different, fundamentally, than the stories their respective families are telling themselves about the need and desire for marriage.

As we tour various sites around Mumbai, and we watch both characters discover feelings for one another, even as they know their social circumstances make them nearly impossible as a couple, we find their stories changing, as more and more photographs are taken, or reflected upon, or used to tell other stories. Photographs begin as memories and end as stories, and if there’s any criticism for this slice of life romantic drama, it’s that we know there’s more to tell about Rafi and Miloni. You might even, like Amy, wonder if you missed something, but much like a photograph, the film tells us all it can, and leaves the viewer to tell their own story about the characters afterwards. And that will be a tough sell for most. 

“Photograph” is a moving, deeply thematic look at arranged marriage and relationships, focused on the stories we tell ourselves. Using photography as a means to tell many parts of the story, Ritesh Batra, along with the cast, balances a beautiful romance with modern cultural politics, but also leaves the viewer hanging towards the end. Bollywood fans, or folks looking for a beautiful tour of modern Mumbai, should definitely check out this film. Just be ready for an abrupt ending.

Rotten Tomatoes: 80% (CERTIFIED FRESH)

Metacritic: 65

One Movie Punch: 7.6/10

“Photograph” (2019) is rated PG-13 and is currently playing on Amazon Prime.