REVIEWS

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Short reviews by Riya Saha Hey Everyone, It's New Year. It's January 2020. Cult Critic Wishes everyone a Happy New Year.As you all know every month the magazine brings you a few of the most notable independent movies for the readers. A movie that is path-breaking, movies that are creative, revolutionary movies, and are independent gets recognized by us. Cult Critic is a platform for the independent filmmakers to showcase their directions, and in the New Year, we are pleased with the amazing creativity, concepts, stories of the filmmakers. So, let's raise a toast in the name of the path-breaking creations, and have a look at them.  Please Arrest Me  Director: Xavier Mairesse Genre: Film on Women/Documentary Films “A Right Delayed is a right denied” Just 6 minutes 40 seconds and the film Please Arrest Me can surely keep you hooked in your seat. I feel rape is a serious crime, and a woman getting raped by one stranger or 5 strangers which are known as gang rape is something known to us. What about the other legalized rape that happens inside the closed doors and windows of the house? The definition of rape goes thus - That any kind of force made to someone to have sex without consent is Rape. The director brings out the complex subject of marital rape. It discusses everything about Section 375 in our constitution, but a man allowed having sexual intercourse with his wife even without her consent is surely ridiculous.  A woman forced by her husband to have sex with him has become a taboo because women do not frequently speak about it. I salute to the director's effort of raising voice about such a serious subject and the way he presented his documentary. Though I know that if someone goes to report a marital rape to a police officer in his office, then he/she needs to hear the below mentioned statement. In the movie the police officer remarked, and it is true, he said: “according to the law raping your wife is not a crime. This is a personal matter between you and your wife, it is better if you sort this out at home.” According to me, “Please Arrest Me” has the most unique concept, facts, and details.Altogether an informative piece, and a smart step to stand by the side of women.  Cancer Director: Vatsal Patel Genre: Web and New Media/ Fiction Cancer is a short fiction film directed by Vatsal Patel, it won the prestigious Best Shorts Awards and Italy based Oniros Awards winner pilot for a realistic fiction TV series of comedy- drama genre and various others awards from film festivals in USA, Italy, England, Bhutan, Singapore, and India.  Cancer is an untold coming-of-age story of the conflicted, unhinged, wild, untamed, yet vulnerable, almost tragic protagonist, whose character does not fit the norm. It's a story of faith, love, service, betrayal, and uplifting achievement, all in the setting of a spa-styled cancer clinic. With its diverse cast and very original storyline, Cancer has elements of corruption in healthcare, sexual conflict, faith/spirituality, yet it transcends all these barriers. It delves into the psychology of the characters and highlights the mental health issues that are so rampant in personal and professional realms in the setting of oncology but such a stigma to even talk about. Cancer is educational (without being didactic), quirky, innovative/inventive, and presents a grave topic through a dark comedy-drama with elements of serious drama (as the show develops) as well as light humored comedy in every scene.  Based on opinions received so far, Cancer has a universal appeal, particularly attractive to millennials, baby-boomers, as well as healthcare professionals. Through the medium of art, it conveys episodic messages that are very relevant to cultural discussions nationally in the US. With excellent execution, the show could become a household name in the US and globally. The eventual goal of involvement in arts: fulfillment of passion for acting and filmmaking while striving to make cancer care free for all. VALARI (The Boomerang) Director: Jayakumar Barade Genre: Short Film There’s one heartbreaking moment in every love story, VALARI (The Boomerang) by Jayakumar Barade strains every sinew to justify it. The two main characters with bitter memories but one is still filled with vengeance resulting in a film doused in schmaltzy romance and creepy violence. Will he succeed having his vengeance, remains to be seen? Jayakumar Barade has a special keenness for vivid characterization, even if some things are underlined a tad too much. He also does a good job with weaving high-octane moments around his characters. So you don’t twig on too much to understand the plot. In the end, the grimness dissolves into softness, the story becomes clear and we become increasingly aware of his oppressed state from his past. Is there a bloody finish, in the end, you need to watch VALARI for sure. Circus Sam Director: R. Wang Genre: Short Film/ Family/Children Films Set in an American coastal town, Alice Featherston is having a hard time asking her crush, Dave, to be her high school prom date. That changes, however, when she meets a traveling circus clown, Sam. The two strike up a unique rapport. Alice discovers that Sam is mute and can only communicate through writing poetry. He also possesses the unique ability to create illustrations that come to life. With his help and guidance, Alice gains the courage to speak to Dave at school. Even when things don’t go quite according to plan, Sam helps navigate Alice through her disappointments.Directed by R. Wang this coming-of-age story is about a young girl and her journey on of finding her confidence. Sometimes we need a wonderful man to be by our side and help us fight our insecurities. The movie is all about love, friendship, and finding the confidence to communicate your feelings. Living Idle Director: Ramana Genre: Short Films A prolific film-maker speaks about Karma, through his film Living Idle. The movie speaks about actions have consequences. And this is nothing new to us, everything is mentioned in Gita.  Lord Krishna says, “No one can avoid karma, but with the help of karma sannyasa yoga one can escape from the consequences that may arise from them and the sin that follows.” Similarly Living Idle speaks about how Lord Durga punished the idol sculpture when he crosses all limits of abuse and shows him a life of yearning. The movie is a rendition of it's Good over Evil's and the director has smartly implemented all his creativity to create such a movie to preach renunciation of action. The director Ramana has a specialization in Art Direction, Visual Storytelling and Visual Scripting. Therefore, he could mix the right elements in the correct place. Hats off to the director, scriptwriter, and actors they did a marvelous job in the film.  Robot Romance Director: Thomas Constantinides Genre: Short Films Robot Romance is about the humanoid Bobby who looks like a pretty lady and is willing to do anything for his boss a struggling writer. Everything works well when he goes a step further and starts feeling for the robot. The robot's knowledge through the data awes the protagonist of the film. Moreover, everything was working well since bobby can handle all the household works, and also look after his physical needs. The protagonist wants no burden and Bobby becomes a good company for him. Thomas Constantinides as a director and writer is known for Robot Romance (2019), In Between (1991) and Stuck in Purgatory (2015). His short film is dedicated to all the millennial and their children who need to survive the corporate artificial intelligence invasion. The movie is different from the genre movies, but you must watch the film to see what happens to booby at the end.