Walking during the night can always prove an interesting, if not dangerous experience, depending on the location. Aryan D. Roy seems to had a similar notion when she conceived of “Bridge” a type of neo-noir that takes place during the walk of one man during the night, and crosses the borders of dream/fantasy and reality a number of times.
The aforementioned man is Biswajit Sarkar and he retuns back home during the night. In his “odyssey”, he meets a woman who looks lost, a drunken ricksaw driver, a political enforcer who has regretted his past and wants to change his ways, and a famous musician that is about to lose his tune. It seems, however, that these were not just simple passerby, but individuals who want Biswajit's soul.
Moving in a style that unfolds much like a road movie, Aryan D. Roy creates a rather appealing narrative, where philosophical and sociopolitical commentary coexist with elements of horror, humor and drama. The amalgam is quite interesting, particularly in the way Roy creates an ambiguous atmosphere, where is difficult to understand if what is happening is part of reality or the protagonist's dream/nightmare, with the resulting disorientation actually carrying the movie for the majority of its 28 minutes.
Apart from context though, the short also thrives on its visual approach, with Ayan and Samriddha Ganguly capturing the night in all its glory, through approaches that move into paths that could be described as voyeuristic, realistic, noirish and even horrific on occasion. Roy's own editing also moves in the same direction, intensifying the sense of disorientation that permeates the movie, while the relativaly fast pace allows for the many episodes to unfold without rush. The music selection is also interesting, with the track leading to the political aggressor being the one standing out, although one could also say that the number of songs presented here is quite excessive, occasionally even dulling the rest of the impact the narrative has.
Soumya Majumdar as Biswajit Sarkar gives a very fitting performance, reacting intriguely in all the extreme events that happen to him. Apratim Chatterjee as the political enforcer gives the most fearful performance, emitting violence with every look and every movement.
Despite the fact that a bit less music would definitely the short, “Bridge” emerges as a rather worthy effort, both contextually and cinematically, with Bridge obvious having what it takes to make the next step into feature films.
