Pinecone

A film that sheds light on the evolving landscape of queer rights in India... This poignant narrative captures the essence of first love, the harsh realities of cynicism, and the relentless fight for equality --- highlights the broader struggle for LGBTQ+ rights in India!!

Watching Sid Mehra's journey unfold on screen, I was reminded of my own first love-the excitement, the vulnerability, and the profound impact it had on my life. Sid's transformation from a proud, hopeful filmmaker to a cynical yet resilient advocate for queer rights resonated with my experiences of navigating the complexities of love and identity.

This film is more than just a love story; it is a call to action, a testament to resilience, and a vital contribution to the ongoing quest for equal rights and acceptance for queer folks in India.

Indian film industry needed to move on from 'subtle' to 'comedy' to telling authentic stories of queer people. As a heterosexual male watching this film at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2023, it wasn't short of challenging, to be honest. But the film won't let you take your eyes off screen with intimate and bold love-making scenes along with great cinematography.

Beautifully scripted with authentic storyline, PineCone has been sensitively directed by Onir to bring the universal human emotions of love on the large screen. While the film will definitely endear the specific target groups, I strongly recommend this for the heterosexual community to understand the true meaning of LOVE and that the feelings of pain, desire & intimacy transcend any human orientations. I am a better human being having watched this film.

Thank you Onir for always bringing out meaningful cinema. The film richly deserves all accolades.

The film demands your full attention. I watched the most beautiful love-making scenes between two men in a hall full of high school and college students, and none of us felt uncomfortable. Instead, we rooted for the character and hoped for a happy ending, even though the film was as realistic as it came. Pine Cone has one of the most unique stories, which even the most progressive Western films on queer themes fail to portray. The dialogues and verses of poetry in the film pull your heartstrings, making me want to meet the writer and whoever inspired it.

This makes me proud as a south Asian and someone who grew up watching Bollywood, that this industry is finally cathing up in telling authentic stories of queer people.

I recommend folks from the community and others to watch Pine Cone, more for its beauty to normalise desires and a message for folks to let their gaurds down and give love another chance.

I personally liked how the movie communicated the experiences a queer individual faces in their daily lives. Very relatable.

I wished the movie didn't end, wanted to watch more and more of it. And I guess, that speaks a lot of the movie, that the audience is hooked to know "what's next?" "How do they work it out?".

I'd love to have more and more folks (out of the community) to watch this, and get a sneak peak into what it is like for a queer individual to find love whilst operating in all the constructs of the society.

Excellent character development threads seamlessly in this excellent movie.. Stunning photography and a beautiful story that many gay men can relate. One of the finest films at the October 2023, Outshine Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The puzzle of developing a meaningful relationship is studied from the present moment to the past. Every moment in a prior relationship has a profound impact on an individual's make up. Pine Cone explores the development of character by creating a video storytelling platform to discover how and why we behave in the social and technological environment of our complex lives. I highly recommend this move!