Not many film have been able to convey the true definition of "feminism" of late but Sheiladitya Moulik's "Sweater" surely isn't one such flick! Featuring Ishaa Saha, Kharaj Mukherjee, Srilekha Maitra, June Malia amongst others, the film is story of the traditions, taboos, modernized rituals, different perspectives, immaturity & most importantly, a journey of self-redemption of an allegedly "good-for-nothing" girl from a town of Bengal.
The director laid blocks to build the film & used certain characters so brilliant to solidify the blocks and weave the sweet self6redemption story around them by not dragging anything even for a single moment. Of course, the whole idea is supported magnificently by good quality writing and reminds you of Kangna Ranaut's "Queen." However, what stood out the most was the concept and its execution by not over-exaggerating anything at all & that's pure brilliance from the director! Though, the pace was too fast at times but never been slow at all & that, I think, is acceptable considering the director lacks experience.
Though, no matter how the director used the characters, it was the actors who stood out equally on making the film so significant. The cast was very limited, yet, so vast even if it's not star-studded. Every single actors were so very good in the film even with their limited screen time but the three who overshadowed everyone else surely were Ishaa Saha, Srilekha Maitra & Kharaj Mukherjee without any doubts. And even among them, Ishaa Saha was probably the very best and definitely the most adorable. Her performance will force you to feel for the character and will also make sure you forget all the "social flaws" she unfortunately possesses. I won't wonder if some boy or mother-in-law falls in love with her character by the end of the film because that's the kind of magnificent job she's been able to do! Then again, she was greatly supported both by director and the other casts as well!
Coming to the technical points, I've to say that this is probably the only department which should be criticised a bit. Firstly, the cinematography was totally inconsistent but was saved by intelligent piece of editing. Secondly, color-grading was poor and the film looked dull throughout and we never got the chance to see the true beauty of North Bengal. Thirdly & lastly, music department was also not that great and most of the songs were completely unnecessary. Instead, the music department of Anindya Chatterjee could've looked to strengthen the background scoring which was very much needed on a film with this sort of subject.
Overall, the film is a fresh-take on ourselves, the society, modern-day women & their limitations, acceptance & what not, just through a mere metaphor of the reasoning behind the film's name! Just like sweater takes time to be woven, a human being also needs time to discover him/herself & that, learning is another thing which you can never force someone either. Giving barely two hours from your daily schedule to this film is absolutely worth it & in fact, you should watch it with your family if possible. However, if you're a geek or an avid film watcher, you'll probably be disappointed with the technical issues the film possesses due to its lack of proper resources but in case you're not one such person, you'll absolutely love the film because it doesn't really have any serious "flaws."
