India might have decriminalised the consensual homosexual intercourse with the Section 337 of the Indian Penal Code in 2018, however there is a long way to the acceptance of same sex unions in the country. Although the situation is slowly changing, it will take some time until people will be allowed to live their sexuality freely, showing affection for their partners of choice without fear of being outcasted. Especially for those who have reached a ripe age and their families are used to the stereotypical pictures of family, coming out of the closet and to be accepted for it proves to be extremely difficult.
My Mother’s Girlfriend is screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival
Nagging is the main preocupation of Renuka’s son Mangesh (Suhas Sirsat) who represents the old belief that sexuality is something you can control and turn straight if you find the right (heterosexual) match. Instead of dropping the topic even when his mother reaches her outter limits, he is pushing it, trying to ‘talk sense’ to her by uttering meaningless phrases about her potentially bad influence on her grand-daughter. For him, mother’s girlfriend Sadiya (Anju Alva Naik) not having kids is also a kind of a warning sign as if that meant she were a non-woman.
Renuka (the wonderful Sushama Deshpande) won’t have it. She can finally live the life she always wanted to have, and she has to find the strength to say it straight out. The thing is – she knows what that involves: long, useless discussions about the rights and wrongs, something she stopped caring about after her husband’s death.
In his wonderfully accomplished short “My Mother’s Girlfriend” Arun Fulara continues where he stopped in his impressive coming-of-age drama “Sunday” which saw its world premiere in Tampere in 2020 and hasn’t ceased touring since. It’s the small signs of affection and love the audience observes. A touch, gentle caressing, stolen kisses. Soft nocturnal light will offer the perfect coulisse for intimacy, and bright sunshine will bring the observant eye of the society into focus. Such contrast is introduced by the skillful eye of the cinematographer Rangoli Agarwal who establishes an immediate connection between the couple and the audience through close-ups.
The casting choices prove to be ideal for this film that sees only three people in interaction, building its narrative on credulous dialogues that, with great certainty, come from real life experiences. The accent falls on small details such as non-verbal language, the way the fabric falls on both women’s bodies, and the small physical imperfections most of us have unlearned to love. The beauty is, after all, something we all perceive differently, and love is just the way Fulara shows it – impossible to comprehend from the outside.
“My Mother’s Girlfriend” is a love declaration to people who take risks by loving unconditionally.
