Having its world premiere at the 43rd Moscow International Film Festival, “Adieu Godard” is an experimental film shot in Odisha, which functions as homage to and is inspired by the style of the French filmmaker.
“Adieu Godard” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
The narrative unfolds in two axes, one in the present and one in the past. The latter focuses on Ananda, an old man who lives in a small Indian village and is addicted to porn, renting videos and watching them with his friends. One day, however, he brings in a DVD with a Godard movie, accidentally, and his life changes. Despite the annoyance of the rest of the spectators, he starts renting all of his filmography, and through his movies, he becomes more mature, wiser and even profound, in a rather amusing element of the narrative. Eventually, he decides to organize a tribute festival to Godard in the village, but the issues are too many.
The second axis takes place in the present, and revolves around the daughter of Ananda, Shilpa, who is the one narrating the story to her boyfriend, and essentially her childhood years in the village. The narration of her involvement with a local boy brings the true character of her boyfriend to the fore.
Amartya Bhattacharyya directs a rather ambitious movie, as he tries to juggle numerous, and quite different elements in the narrative. Inevitably, some work, and some do not. The first axis, for example, is truly exquisite as the story is ingenious, filled with humor and many social and philosophical comments, with the cinematography and the acting being on the same level. The concept of Godard vs Porn is ingenious and quite entertaining, with the way the French auteur’s films result in the enlightenment of Ananda and the disgust of the locals providing an excellent antithesis, that also comments on cinema and the various ways it is perceived by different people.
This aspect also benefits the most by the acting, with Choudhury Bikash as Anand giving a rather nuanced performance, with his hyperbole being wonderfully embedded in the narrative, as much as of the rest of the cast. Particularly the scene with the fight regarding his daughter is a wonder to watch, making a comment about the place of women in Indian society while offering plenty of laughter through the attitude of the people involved. Swastik Choudhury as Jatin, the town simpleton is also great, in a truly memorable performance.
Furthermore, the black and white cinematography by Bhattacharrya himself is truly exquisite, both in the close ups to the characters, and through the various long and panoramic shots that highlight the beauties of the area.
The second axis again comments on the way men perceive women even nowadays, and functions quite well in filling some gaps of the first axis, something that can also be attributed to the director’s editing. At the same time though, the performances are a bit awkward, the combination of intense colors and way the narrative unfolds frequently point to TV-commercial aesthetics, and the twist/lie in the end is not convincing at all, as much as the whole interaction between the two. Sudhasri Madhusmita as Shilpa has her moments, but in general, she suffers from a not so well written character.
The result is intriguing, but also uneven, to the point that I feel the movie would be better off with just the black-and-white part, which is the one that highlights Bhattacharyya’s talent in writing and composition.
