Movies

In ‘Sister Midnight,’ an unhappy housewife escapes into a city’s rhythms

BBG News

A gritty, comedic film with a rock influence, “Sister Midnight” by British-raised Karan Kandhari, paints a vivid picture using the unique quirks of Mumbai’s nighttime slum life. This movie focuses on a young housewife struggling with urban ennui. Despite periods of apparent inactivity, it manages to keep viewers engaged for extended periods due to its tense and electric atmosphere.

As a cinephile, let me clarify that this visually appealing first film isn’t a depressing sojourn into despair or an introspective examination of a character. Instead, it’s a fascinatingly peculiar and raw blend of daytime horror and nighttime adventure that unearths the wild resilience hidden within its unconventional protagonist, brilliantly portrayed by the talented Radhika Apte from India.

Despite the film’s inability to reconcile its randomly unfolding events with its strong feminist rebel vibe, along with the unexpected comic book element that disrupts everything midway, this isn’t really a flaw but rather an intentional choice. Just like a skillful movie DJ, Kandhari is creating a gritty atmosphere of urban disconnection, crafting a surreal, disjointed, and darkly humorous journey from the scattered hues, noises, and characters of the city.

At midnight, newlywed and rural migrants Uma (Apte) and Gopal (Ashok Pathak), who seemed more like inmates adapting to a prison’s regulations than a loving couple embarking on a shared future, arrived at their cramped dwelling. It appears that this was an unwanted match: the shy, unattractive man no woman desired and the outspoken woman who was deemed unsuitable for pairing.

Movies

For Subscribers

The 27 best movie theaters in Los Angeles

Here are our top 27 picks for movie theaters in Los Angeles, featuring gems like the TCL Chinese, the New Beverly, the Alamo Drafthouse, and the AMC in Burbank, which stands out among the rest.

However, this is their situation now, as Gopal must find ways to manage with his job, which frequently finds him returning home drunk from nights out with coworkers. Uma, meanwhile, is left alone in the dimness of a small shack, quickly expressing her frustration with the joyless and emotionally distant rut they’ve found themselves in. Swinging between anger and exhaustion, she struggles to adapt to the domestic life that her prickly neighbors seem to accept as a casual greeting.

In time, Uma’s craving for cigarettes under the moonlight evolves into frequent solitary strolls at all hours. An unplanned trip to a coastal part of town takes her to a cleaning job in an office building and a friendship with a sympathetic elevator operator. Now she’s seen wielding a mop and bucket everywhere, like a wandering knight without a mission or steed. Then there’s a mysterious encounter with a goat on the street, making things even more peculiar. Yet, in an unexpected way, it feels more meaningful to her.

Kandhari’s cinematography, reminiscent of a blend between Wes Anderson and David Lynch, appears focused on portraying something transitional in Uma’s alternate reality. It seems as though the city is subtly strange and oppressive enough to bring forth any changes that were previously hidden. By the point where the film presents stop-motion creatures wandering the streets, you find yourself thinking, “Of course, why not?

As a film enthusiast, I’d say that a movie like “Sister Midnight,” with its quirky and unconventional vibe that later takes a darker turn, demands an undercurrent of intensity to maintain its unique, deadpan charm. Luckily, Kandhari delivers on this front, showing a keen visual interest in exploring the grittier aspects of his fractured fairy tale, enhanced by Sverre Sørdal’s atmospheric cinematography and the engaging performance of Apte. His raw energy is often amusingly contrasted with a charming, almost silent-film-era cluelessness.

One would prefer if everything were more tightly knit, rather than scattering ideas that seem to grow into confusing themes and diversions instead of providing clarity. Kandhari frequently maintains Uma in a caricatured rebel-goddess state, playing another popular rock song as if challenging us to believe that only Motorhead or Buddy Holly could appropriately score this situation. However, these aspects are enjoyable as well.

It would be better if everything were more unified, instead of scattering thoughts that grow into confusing subplots and distractions rather than providing clarity. Kandhari often keeps Uma in a cartoonish rebel-goddess role, playing another popular rock song as if daring us to accept Motorhead or Buddy Holly as the only suitable soundtrack for this scenario. Yet, these elements are entertaining too.

Undeniably, the title “Sister Midnight” is synonymous with Iggy Pop’s repertoire. It snarls, “What can I do about my dreams?”, a fitting lyric for the uniquely creative and uncontainable fervor embodied by the film that carries the same name.

Read More

2025-05-24 06:01

Previous post Error during authentication for model openrouter:anthropic/claude-3-sonnet: Failed to create temporary account. Status: 403, Details: Request rejected. Please try again after browsing our site.
Next post Error during authentication for model openrouter:anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet-20240620: Failed to create temporary account. Status: 403, Details: Request rejected. Please try again after browsing our site.