From the director's statement about the film: ‘When Plato Came Home' is an adaptation of ‘The Allegory of The Cave by Plato'.
This silent experimental film takes a look at our intolerant society and deals with questions like, what would we do if Plato knocked on our door today with his philosophies, with his beliefs, with the truth? Will we open our eyes or shut the door on him, denying everything that questions our age old belief systems?
“When Plato Came Home” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
The experimental short takes place exclusively inside one room, where a number of people are sitting on chairs, connected with a rope, “watching” a screen in front of them. One man is wearing blinders, one has a newspaper stuck on his face while his glasses are placed on his lap, one has a remote control and is holding a rope to a middle-aged woman sitting next to him, peeling an egg. Next, there is a kid with a book on his face. The symbolism here is palpable with Vidar Joshi commenting and how the Press, the TV, and the current type of education in the country prevent people from facing reality, while the fact that women are controlled by men and there are also people who, despite not being affected by the aforementioned “obstacles” are blind to everything but their own perception of the world, also becomes evident.
Eventually, a young man in white clothes opens the door to the dark room, also allowing in the sound of birds and insects, with him representing the question about Plato mentioned in the prologue. He tries to free the man with the blinders, while the images on the screen in the room alternate between a story on an ancient scroll and three people standing next to each other, an older man, a woman and a child. Tension rises as “Plato” tries to make the “Blinders Man” go out of the room, but he resists intently, even after the former manages to untie him and get him off his chair. The way their fight ends also gives a definite answer to the question “what will we do if Plato knocked on our door today?”
Implementing a highly ritualistic atmosphere, as it is formed by the sound of a voice that seems to be chanting, the sound of a sitar, and the dark room the movie takes place in, Vidar Joshi manages to comment on the Indian society today, and particularly how everybody seems to be trapped in their own truth, as dictated by tradition, the press, religion, and a centuries-old-belief system that has very little to do with the reality of our world nowadays. The way the Blinders Man treats Plato answers one of the central questions of the movie, but also induces the narrative with a sense of pessimism, that is, though, quite realistic. The breaking of the fourth wall in the end adds another surrealistic note to the narrative, closing the 20 minute short nicely.
In terms of visuals, DP Pranav Manchekar framing is quite good, but there are some issues with the lighting that make some scenes difficult to realize what is going on. The editing by Joshi himself gives a welcome sense of movement to an otherwise still movie, while the story on the orange/yellow scroll adds an also welcome splash of color.
Mahesh Pitale as the Blinders Man and Abhishekh Khan as Plato give convincing performances despite the complete lack of dialogue here, with their interactions being another medium for the tension in the movie.
Despite the fact that not all symbolisms are clear, at least to the non-Indian viewer, “When Plato Came Home” communicates a number of Joshi's comments eloquently, while the ritualistic atmosphere and the eventual tension work quite well in entertainment terms. The experimental nature of the short makes it a viewing for a very specific audience, but I feel that it is a film that definitely deserves a watch, even outside the particular
