COVID-19 Special: 'Sir' (12)

Director: Rohena Gera

Cast: Tillotama Shome, Vivek Gomber

Where can I watch?: Sir is streaming on Netflix

Rating: 4/5

Review: If you're anything like me, you will have spent a fair few hours (read: lifetimes) on the 'endless scroll' through Netflix's highly 'unusual' film selection. Imagine the excitement, then, when on a cold Friday evening, we found a new addition to the list that the Netflix-bot promised was a '98% match'. It's safe to say that neither of us had particularly high expectations of Sir, the tale of a domestic worker who falls in love with her affluent boss in modern day Mumbai, but we found ourselves swept along in this delicate and deeply touching film. For a movie with such a brief run time (it clocks in at just over one and a half hours), a lot is packed in, from a fearless and frank exploration of India's caste hierarchy, to the place of women in society and a nuanced depiction of the vast chasm between rural and urban lifestyles. Discussion of these topics are never forced, however, with writer Rohena Gera's script (she was also the film's director) subtly entwining these large issues into natural, everyday conversations. At the centre of all this is Ratna (the excellent Tillotama Shome), whose status as a young widow has all but exiled her from her native village life. She dreams of becoming a tailor and establishing a business with her younger sister, whose studies Ratna is funding with her domestic work. Through Shome's understated performance, we witness Ratna's heartache alongside her quiet determination, and her struggle as Sir (Vivek Gomber) expresses his love for her. Such an understated film is this that you don't necessarily notice the emotional impact it has had until it's too late, and by then you're completely absorbed in the lives of these two characters from very different worlds.

A COVID-19 Must-Watch?: Quite simply, 'yes'. Intelligently and sensitively made, understated-yet-powerful, this little film proves that you don't need a big budget, big actors or big ideas to make an impactful, important story.

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