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Cactus Pears
Sat
25
Sat 25 Oct 8:30 PM
Palace Nova Eastend: Cinema 8
General Admission
Unclassified 18+
112 MinsAnand works in a Mumbai call centre, but when his father dies, he must spend ten days in his family’s rural village in western India to complete his filial duties.
Anand’s parents have no problem with the fact that their son is gay, but the village is another world, where homosexuality is not acknowledged and Anand is relentlessly pressured to explain why he is not married. However, it is also the home of his childhood friend Balya, a local farm worker facing similar issues. The pair reconnect and their intimacy blossoms.
This is a film whose power is born of a great simplicity, with long elegant takes and a sparse soundtrack underlining the growing tenderness between the two men, whose sexuality puts them outside the limited imagination of the village. Writer-director Kanawade has spoken of “portraying queer individuals as ordinary people rather than idealized figures, humanizing their story.” His success in achieving this is borne out by the film’s triumphant reception at Sundance and other festivals worldwide.
Anand’s parents have no problem with the fact that their son is gay, but the village is another world, where homosexuality is not acknowledged and Anand is relentlessly pressured to explain why he is not married. However, it is also the home of his childhood friend Balya, a local farm worker facing similar issues. The pair reconnect and their intimacy blossoms.
This is a film whose power is born of a great simplicity, with long elegant takes and a sparse soundtrack underlining the growing tenderness between the two men, whose sexuality puts them outside the limited imagination of the village. Writer-director Kanawade has spoken of “portraying queer individuals as ordinary people rather than idealized figures, humanizing their story.” His success in achieving this is borne out by the film’s triumphant reception at Sundance and other festivals worldwide.