Not Out

I recently watched Not out and was really moved by the movie. It beautifully portrays the stigma around homosexuality and the male sexual abuse in India.

The movie hits you exactly where it should! We all have Siddhant and Rahul amongst us but we as a society makes no effort to help them navigate through their struggles. Kudos to Jeff for addressing such a pressing issue with such an ease. The movie is crisp with solid direction. The cast has done brilliantly and took their roles to their heart. Loved the soundtrack!

Overall, this is a great movie with a mix of social stigma and a love story rolled into one. If you are looking for an unconventional watch pertaining to Indian cinema, this is unquestionably the movie for you.

Walking into the screening of 'Not Out' with absolutely no clue of the baseline or the essence of the movie in a room full of people that slowly appeared on the screen as the movie played to begin with showed how each character held their role to their hearts.

The title of the movie just hits base with every scene of the movie, be it with cricket, coming out of the closet, not getting caught with crime and various other social issues. As an audience you really get a sense of Why,What and How each character went through that particular period of their life and makes us understand Love in such a pure and simple way !

It's a Must watch movie and you'll understand once you do watch it !

-The film was shot mostly handheld, it makes it look lifelike and gives that eerie feeling throughout the film -Rahul's wife is talking to her mother in her mother tongue on the phone, difficult for a Non Indian director to give that direction, well done -Jeff is soo adorable in the movie, I had a smile every time he appeared on screen -Liked the inclusion of the characters who keep giving socio/political commentary, in those moments I completely used to forget I am watching a film and I felt as if I am there with them -The non linear screenplay really worked for me, kept me engaged and curious throughout -The exchange where he says "you're helping your guilt" was really well written -A part in the film that I won't disclose, the way it was shot and the lighting, made it really really disturbing.

This film keeps you thinking long after it's over. The characters are well established and the direction takes you on an unexpected journey. We live in a society where we have learnt to turn a blind eye to things around us. What happens when different worlds collide? Is love defined by the society we live in? Will the choices we make in our life haunt us forever?

This film definitely makes you re evaluate the world around us.

I could not stop myself from being pulled into the lives of the characters and become invested in their journey with every twist and turn.

The film may feel slow paced at certain points but still keeps you interested.

The film is a heart touching story of unrequited love between. Siddhant and Rahul. Despite the love between the two they are unable to be together because of social norms. The story is very pertinent to our social fabric of judgement and non acceptance.

The background music complements the theme beautifully. The performances are honest and gritty. The director Jeff Goldberg brings the story of the struggle of two lovers to life.set in mumbai. The screenplay and the narrative style helps us deep dive into the intimate lives and struggles of Siddhanth and Rahul. The sets beautifully immerse us into the world of the characters.

The film cuts across time and space introducing a variety of characters from a wide array of the Indian socio-economic fabric to reveal a heart touching story of love, violence and the choices people make because of societal pressures and judgements.

The film lingers on, much after you have finished watching it.

Radhika.