Fashioned from influences ranging from Wes Anderson to stop motion animation, the film is a rare beast which shows moments of light within darkness and a triumph of female protagonists.
The film has already garnered a Best Outstanding Debut by British Writer, Director or Producer nomination at the Baftas in February for the director in a highly competitive category, as well as being nominated for Camera D'Or in Cannes 2024,
Uma (Radhika Apte) has been ushered into this world of one she does not want to be in, yet through grit and gumption (much like early Capra heroines) she grows into her role as a domestic goddess in spite of her plight and lot in life. Lumbered with a husband, Gopal (Ashok Pathak) who is no help whatsoever, she becomes a beacon in the community and admired by women who share the same problematic life and eventually grows closer to her husband.
In a great year for cinema from the sub-continent (All We Imagine As Light and Girls will be Girls), these are films of universal themes that are attractive to western audiences with moments of hilarity and subtlety that would not look out of place in Apatow comedies. This along with the utilising of western music (Buddy Holly for consummation anyone?), at times surprising yet equally refreshing, with the director picking the brain of Jim Jarmusch seemingly.
The film is anchored by a noteworthy central performance by Apte, which is both vulnerable and affecting. Uma grows more and more misanthropic with her behaviour become more manic which subverts the audience anticipation, subverting the role of dutiful wife in arranged marriages.
A twist occurs about an hour into the film, causing the caustic humour of the film to fall away, which is a shame as the use of animated animals to highlight the psyche of Uma distracts from the brilliantly blocked and shot movie. Sister Midnight is a film that reminds you of the power of human imagination amidst painful moments of loneliness and isolation. This is a film about a free-spirited view of a brave new world available to a burgeoning sub-continent.
However, the bold and brave style of performance and aesthetic should hold this film in good stead to garner a wider critical response and cult following due to its very nature of being something you have never seen before yet embracing influences of world cinema from Wenders to Ozu.
Sister Midnight is released in the UK by Altitude Films on 14th March
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