The latest film of Aneek Chaudhuri is currently screening at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, and is another short movie by the Indian director, who has been quite prolific during the latest years and has already finished two productions during the pandemic.
“And, he Blinks” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
The story revolves around a paralyzed man who is spending all his time in a chair inside a room, just watching outside through a window. His imagination, which is the only thing he has left, moves him into strange paths, as he fantasizes of being a seagull, roaming around the beach, or being able to stand and walk and enjoy the company of the young nurse who visits him. Alas, the only thing he can do while she takes care of the chores or sitting bored in the room, is imagine. Eventually, however, the simplest of gestures makes her realize how he feels.
In this dialogue-less narrative, Chaudhuri presents the hardships and the feelings of a man who is trapped in his own body. The 23-minute short unfolds almost like a stage-play, since its majority takes place inside the rundown, highlighting the restraint of the protagonist. Furthermore, the struggle and angst the man feels is quite palpable, both through Sabuj Barddhan's acting but also through the intense close-ups DP Soumya Barik implements throughout the movie. The fact that his caretaker is bored is also well communicated by Ipsita Kandu, again, without any need for her to express her mentality through the words.
Probably the best aspect of the film is the way Chaudhuri communicates movement and the time frame, with the sound playing a rather important part here. The wind that moves the man's clothes is depicted excellently, while the fact that the time is passing is presented through the difference of the exterior sounds, of seagulls and people during the day, and cicadas during the night.
However, the finale could have been more impactful, since the gaze the man “throws” towards his caretaker does not communicate fully what is happening, and the short ends up somewhat abruptly at that moment. Perhaps Chaudhuri's purpose was to close the movie in a way that allows the viewer to imagine what happens then, instead of spoon-feeding him, but again, considering that not much can actually happen, this part ends up as a bit awkward.
Despite this, Chaudhuri's technical command of the medium seems to have reached a rather high level, and it would be very interesting to see what he will manage to shoot as soon as the pandemic is over, and he has more freedom and options at his disposal.
