Becoming obsessed with the mother-daughter relationship, Leda remembers her own experiences of early motherhood, memories filled with terror, intensity and a whole lot of confusion. In this one, Leda (Olivia Coleman) meets a mother and her young daughter while holidaying in Italy. However, the high production quality cannot be denied and the comedic aspects are easy to appreciate.We love it when Netflix gets a jumpstart on streaming hotly anticipated movies early in the year so get ready to lap up all that is Olivia Coleman in Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut- The Lost Daughter. With heavy themes of gender roles, social expectations and just how dangerous (or liberating) technology can really be, the moral conclusions of this movie are up for debate. Pick up the remote and try this memorable rom-com. The film featured mostly traditional Indian sounds complimented by techno-beats whenever the momentum picked up. I appreciated the combination of more traditional shots, like the warm scenes of the couple sitting side-by-side on the beach, with the contemporary scenes of face timing, conference calls and scrolling through apps. A lot of effort was taken to build up to the main story, even with a modest budget. Nothing can truly grow, whether a seed or love, unless you leave it alone and trust that it will sprout. There was good visual storytelling, like the scene of the boy (later revealed to be Pradeep) planting a mango seed. This is clear from the opening scene which shows each step of a smartphone being manufactured from with beautiful clarity. The special effects in this film are impeccable. The film holds women to the same impossible standards as hundreds of years ago. On the other hand, most of Pradeep’s questionable behaviour was swept aside. Her reputation only survived once the accusation was proved to be false. The moment that this sexual “purity” came into question, her community cast her to the dogs. Personally, I did not appreciate the focus on Nikitha’s purity. I applaud the moving subplot and stellar acting from the entire cast. No one was exactly whom they seemed to be. The characters were all multi-dimensional and it was enjoyable to peel back each layer as the film progressed. Then, an unexpected third party throws a wrench into the already collapsing structure. Their seemingly perfect relationship begins to fall apart at the seams as both their secrets come to light. The old man shocks them with a strange condition he will allow them to marry only if they exchange phones for a day. Pradeep has to formally introduce himself to Nikitha’s father as a suitor for marriage. Unfortunately, her father still finds out. Due to the social stigma around dating, Nikitha lies to her strict father about where she got the phone. He waxes poetic about how close they are and how they know everything about each other. Pradeep is a young man who spends his savings to buy his girlfriend, Nikitha, a new smartphone. He digs it up to check on it multiple times and is frutrated that it won’t sprout. The film begins with a young boy planting a mango seed. Now, this is one of the very few times when I can say this I have never seen this story told before. Contemporary film is littered with remakes and retellings of old stories. There’s an old saying nothing is new under the sun. Mild spoilers ahead The Story and Characters The film was a box office success and received critical acclaim in India, but we at Big Picture Film Club think it deserves a little more love internationally. Love Today brings us back down to earth with an unlikely but entirely plausible modern love story of courtship in the smartphone era. When you hear the words “Indian love story” you might think of stereotypical over-the-top soap opera-style Bollywood movies. Our first pick is Love Today (2022), a quirky Indian romantic comedy. On this edition of Netflix Hidden Gems, we’re heading over to Asia.
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