A pick-me-up movie which depicting the self-journey of two women, Nila & Holly who are literally across the globe and oceans, have a quest to journey across to the opposite end of their world. It could or could not have any bearing on their future life but they are not afraid of taking that path. "Across the Ocean" is a movie of hope, rebellion and ultimately about self-love.
Since, I've been a sucker for "women telling - women stories," this movie could resonate with me on several layers. Where the American Holly is a professional woman with outwardly calm, suave, and zen like person, while her Indian counterpart Nila is without any professional ambition but to reach America. Nila is also tempestuous, impulsive and a funny kind of selfish(if that is a character trait) girl. But what make us read them together on the same page is when we see their single mindedness of reaching their goal amid all their protestations from the family, friends and self doubts. The main leads of this movie - Anna Jaller as a very convincing Holly, and the charming Apoorva Bose as Nila did an excellent job with a bright supporting cast.
Being a crowd-funded movie, shot on two continent, it's amazing how two women being as different in their upbringing and thoughts could think in same way. The director duo Nicole Donadio & Uma Kumarapuram showcases how language, culture and geography is no barrier in story-telling and how all women have the same language for life.
This movie provides hope for future independent cinema making for a lot of budding film-makers.
