Anamika (Kalki Koechlin) is forced to return home to take care of her mother, Sadhana (Deepti Naval), when she’s no longer capable of taking care of herself. Anamika, however, believed she had moved on from this part of her life, that she would no longer have to return to her mother–but life has come at her fast. While back home she can’t help but to relive her less-than-ideal childhood, things including a dead Goldfish and her abusive mother. She’s losing control of her own life, can she regain balance?
Goldfish attempts to create hard-hitting, never-ending drama from the second the film begins–and for the most part it does that. I’m not entirely sure that it’s successful in being emotional enough, however. There were certainly times when I sat there wondering when the next bit would begin, when the next piece of the puzzle would show itself–and that’s a result of real emotion failing to come to life. Writer-Director Pushan Kripalani never relents in terms of trying to reach viewers emotionally, but, again, there are slow moments that just aren’t capable of doing that to the degree that he had hoped.
However, when the emotions begin to boil over, two or three times throughout the course of Goldfish, they work brilliantly. There were a few times, and they are always between Anamika and her mother, when I was struck by the emotional prowess of their conversation, nearly paralyzed and forced into that conversation. These moments are so powerful, and it’s often because of the horrible things that they say to one another. Imagine all of the horrible things that you think about yourself; then imagine your mother thinks those things, too. That’s Anamika’s life–and those concerns always rise to the surface during their one-on-one conversations. Goldfish is most powerful in these moments, it’s most successful when Anamike and Sadhana converse with one another–and if the film finds success it will certainly be as a result of these moments.
Casting in Goldfish is so important–because without Anamika having the right aesthetic I’m not sure that the film really works. I think it’s important that Anamika look incredibly young, be attractive, and be able to sometimes convey the look of a lost puppy. Koechlin most definitely is the first two things, and her talent allows her to control her face in a way that often makes her appear lost, confused, or out of place. When she’s able to do this throughout the course of Goldfish is when viewers are easily able to access her emotions, easily understand the struggles that she is going through, and truly connect with the film. Koechlin delivers a stellar performance, never relenting at any point throughout the course of the film.
There are times when I struggled throughout Goldfish, when I felt the film wasn’t effectively tapping into the emotional state of everyone involved. Throughout the majority of the film this seems to be that case, but those two or three incredibly powerful moments make up for the struggles. Goldfish ultimately becomes hard-hitting, led primarily by Koechlin, and it finds ways to reach its viewers enough so that they feel a connection to the characters and the story. I ultimately think that I wanted more of those powerful moments between Anamika and her mother, more opportunity to connect with her and her story.
Directed by Pushan Kripalani.
Written by Pushan Kripalani & Arghya Lahiri.
Starring Kalki Koechlin, Deepti Naval, Gordon Warnecke, Rajit Kapoor, Bharti Patel, Ravin J Ganatra, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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