The director is more interested in character than event, and she practically holds up an X-ray of her heroine’s soul.
Spoilers ahead…
You can read the full review on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/kannada-gantumoote-movie-review-roopa-rao-baradwaj-rangan-teju-belawadi-sharath-gowda-nischith-korodi/
The English translation of Gantumoote, written and directed by Roopa Rao, is “Bag Age” — it’s about a schoolgirl, Meera (Teju Belawadi). But say the translation out loud and you get what the film is about: baggage. It’s about the things we carry around with us for life — like memories. Sometimes, you “move on” — like the pop-psychology books tell you to — but without really moving on. The memories are like amber. You’re stuck. Meera will eventually (and really) move on, but this film is about those memories and where they have left her at this time. It’s that one particular chapter in her autobiography, that one batch of pages in her diary.
Every step of the way, the director cues us in to the very intense way Meera thinks and feels about things. Part of me wanted to tell this lovely girl to lighten up, because she’s still just in school — but I also saw why she cannot lighten up. She’s made that way. Take the scene where she is slut-shamed by a classmate. She is unable to figure out why it bothers her so much. A “slut”, after all, is a prostitute, and many women make their living through sex work — so is it really any different from being called a “doctor” or an “accountant”? This scenelet tells us who Meera is. Also who Roopa Rao is.
Continued at the link above.
Copyright ©2019 Film Companion.
Ajay Kumar B
October 25, 2019
This is that “rave” review you mentioned in Twitter?😂
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nikkie1602
October 26, 2019
Rangan sir, you write that the film isn’t feminist but the reasons you mention are ideally what makes a film feminist, doesnt it? The female character doesnt have to be empowering for the film to be one…she should just be authentic, warts and all.
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Anu Warrier
October 27, 2019
I am just rediscovering Kannada cinema. Have added this to my list of must-watch films. Thanks, BR.
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sai16vicky
October 27, 2019
Looks like Teju Belawadi is the daughter of the legendary Kannada actor Prakash Belawadi (‘Talvar’, ‘Uttama Villain’). As the saying goes in Tamil — “Pulikku porandhadhu poonai aaguma” 🙂
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brangan
October 28, 2019
sai16vicky: You should see her in this film. It’s a tricky role and she is SO good.
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brangan
October 30, 2019
To those who liked this film or want to explore this director’s work, here’s a series she made — it’s about two girls who fall in love in the 1990s:
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Sifter
December 1, 2019
Saw the film on Amazon Prime. It really is brilliant…as is your review. Caught the director’s cameo as a ‘prostitute’ in it.
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Amit Joki
December 13, 2019
BR: I know Kannada and Gantumoote means Baggage. It doesn’t translate to “Bag Age”. The film stylizes it that way, showing “baggage” and then the second G slowly fades away to give Bag Age. I think it is a metaphor that the baggage that Meera carries is from the age we carry our bags (that is, our school days).
You’re right about expecting things to go awry. I for one was getting lot anxious of when they’d get caught but this is a bit of cinematic liberty I guess. Because even after getting caught by the teacher, the teacher caringly advises to focus on the studies right now and be happy later. But this idealism is what’s needed. We can only hope.
Also, love the way how the guy is named as Madhu. It is almost feminine and he doesn’t confirm to stereotypical notions of manlihood. He doesn’t try to protect her, instead asks her why should she even bother with what’s being said.
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Faroo
December 20, 2019
Saw this movie after this review showed up on the site — thanks for the recco!
Been a while since I got pulled into a movie in this way. I liked both the leads with one scene in particular establishing how they think — the scene where their teacher talks to them after the excursion trip. Madhu is still boyish and almost kiddish, while Meera comes away saying “sorry” although she isnt fully sure what she is sorry about.
I kept waiting for that moment when someone (in authority) walks in on them making out — because that is how the movies have conditioned us. And that is another aspect she keeps bringing up — do we think the way we think because of the movies we have seen (cue the compass mutilation scene)?
This movie probably warrants a second watch 🙂
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Aparna
June 28, 2020
Exquisite is really the word for this movie.
My favorite moment from the movie- when the well-meaning teacher calls Meera and Madhu to have a chat with them. Madhu’s hair-falling-on-his-face teenage bravado and nonchalance contrasted with Meera’s immediate falling face, self-consciousness, the moment she bites her lip as if she feels ashamed for having this conversation with the teacher. Spot on reaction. The shame is so ingrained in us, that it didn’t matter that the teacher’s advice was nowhere near shaming them, he was reasonable and doting, just a teacher looking out for some kids he cares about.
As someone who was called a “prostitute” in high school for having spurned a classmates advances, this movie really resonated with me. I wish at that moment I had had the maturity to think of it the way Meera does. Kudos to a fabulous performance by Teju Belawadi, hope to see her in more movies. This is a movie that is going to stay with me for a while.
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sorenkierky
June 28, 2020
Insanely good movie. Just the first few minutes of loudness with the whole ‘reclusive’ stuff aside, this was near flawless. Such an unfussy and yet meditative, atmospheric film – just draws you in. And not to mention how much the female gaze has helped here (oh it’s definitely feminist, IDK why you’d say that it isn’t tbh).
And Teju Belawadi was fantastic, this film is simply elevated by the performances, especially hers.
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sorenkierky
June 29, 2020
Oh, and one of the best things about the movie is nothing seems forced. At all. Take the bit where she realizes how she’d been slut shamed. And later, when she realizes ‘slut’ itself isn’t shameful. This is so organically done, and had the making erred here, it could’ve seemed very forced.
And yes, the parts about pop culture influencing everything, the Darr-romance bit, and the slut shamey song, etc – they’re just woven in so well into the narrative. Nothing sticks out.
Just a fantastic movie.
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