Uncertainy Principle

I went to see Dhobi Ghat the other night - I haven't seen a lot of Indian cinema because as most of you know I'm a American x French Cinema gal through and through - BUT I do try when I can to check out what the rest of the world's been up to and up to at the moment.

Let me just say if Dhobi Ghat is what Indian cinema is up to at the moment it is leaps and bounds ahead of so many countries as far as my vibe in cinema goes.

Not only does it paint a tantalizing (if sterilized) portrait of Mumbai (want to go to there) it has a lovely mix of that 90s (and now 00s) cinema theme of seemingly separate lives overlapping (or as Louis CK says God is running out of extra's to the story of your life). It also had some of my favourite cinematic elements like found footage, unrequited love in all its forms and Agnes Varda appropriation everywhere I looked!

Particularly Daguerréotypes which I saw at Cinematheque earlier this year. Varda's films always overwhelm with happy tears - which is just as embarrassment as regular tears in the end. The very echo of this film - about shopkeepers and its riveting - in Dhobi Ghat had me misting over with memory happy tears which had never happened before. Intense.

Also there were cute touches of Beaches of Agnes as well which is always nice.

More people should take cues from the Varda - if just to make me feel like I know a lot about cinema.

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