MIFF NOTES: The Fort (2014, Dir. Avinash Arun)

MIFF's NextGen stream is always a treasure trove of simple, heartfelt cinema. It's seldom complex fare but sometimes that's sometimes exactly the tonic required amidst the hard hitting titles. I took in Avinash Arun's simple mother/son dislocation drama, The Fort (Killa), straight after four hours of Norte, the End of History. It was exactly what I needed.

Arun's polished production is pepped up by some charismatic performances from his young cast, a quintet of roustabout schoolboys living in a small coastal town in southern India. Their shifting relationships give The Fort its dramatic tension, most of which focusses on studious Chinu, who has just moved to the town from Pune after his mother (Amruta Subhash) received a promotion. The move represents a clean start for the pair after the recent death of Chinu's father.

Chinu's struggles to fit in and to keep a lid on his innate imperiousness gives way to some endearing petit dramas that should resonate with the film's target market (not that there were too many kids in the audience, which was a bit disappointing). Chinu's foot stamping with his mother also provides some poignant moments in the film's cheek-wetting climax.

★★★☆

Disclaimer: Due to excessive work and excessive film going, MIFF posts are going to be pretty sketchy this year. I'll come back to some of the better ones and write them up proper-like if the mood takes.