Mumbai 2013 Day #7: Ending on a High!

It is very important for a festival to end well, or for anything to end well, for that matter. Since you can not predict the qualities of individual movies in such festivals, it is always a risk you take by making your choices. As always, a well-informed choice is generally a better choice. I was expecting the final day to be good, because some of the most high-profile movies were left. But I had no idea it will be such a great day that it will actually conclude my festival on such a high note.

"Vic+Flo Saw a Bear" (Canada/ 2013) by Denis Cote was an impressive "festival" film that started my final day. Of course, same-sex love stories are a very common feature of today's cinema. But this film successfully created a powerful crime drama with such a backdrop, without bothering to answer too many questions.

"Bekas" (Sweden-Finland-Iraq/ 2013) by Karzan Kader is a film I would recommend to anyone. A heart-warming adventure-comedy involving two little brothers from Iraq who set out for "America" completely deserved the tremendous applause it received. Watch it as soon as you can.

This extreme positive reaction from the audience continued all through the day, with "The Rocket" (Australia-Laos-Thailand/ 2013) by Kim Mordaunt and "Ilo Ilo" (Singapore/ 2013) Anthony Chen. Both first films by their respective film-makers, and both official entries at the Oscars by their respective countries (Australia and Singapore) are among the most talked-about films this year. And both were extremely well-made, sensitive films, that very easily inspired an overwhelming applause from the audience.

And then, my final film of the festival. I had watched it last year, and the opportunity to watch it again on big screen was just too tempting. More importantly, it is the perfect closing film for any week-long celebration of cinema. "Holy Motors" (France/ 2012) by Leos Carax is a mad odyssey, an indulgent but grand tribute to the medium of cinema, as well as to the life and work of actors. Last year, I had almost recommended this film as a must-watch-before-you-die, but I didn't, as I wanted to be very sure before I did that. This time, I am sure. If there is one film out of the 33 I watched this festival that I would call a must-watch, it is this. (#39)

P.S. This post is late by a few days, as it talks about the 7th day of the festival, that is 24th October.