Schatten der Zeit

A Bengali movie with English subtitles, directed by a German! It is set in the Jute mills of West Bengal where children used to be employed and exploited. The struggles of an ambitious Ravi, the protagonist, who saves money to get out of the system, how he realizes his ambitions and how he retains his humane nature in spite of his environment, forms the basis for an epic love story.

The acting is brilliant, the portrayal "international", so all adults should enjoy it. The production is highly optimized and gritty.

Some audiences may find it slow, but I thought it was well paced, the subtitles appropriate for people who know both languages.

A very recommended watch! Grab it on DVD if it doesn't come to a theater near you.

Florian must be thinking he is some sort of genius - but unfortunately he has not even grasped the basics of cinema - all the slickness and imagery cannot hide what is an absolutely regressive and atavistic screenplay.

Thanks to corneau, you are totally right. And to those who think this is a great film, my condolences to you all - you deserve only this much.

I worked on this film for a couple of days in the post-production stage of audio - ADR. I saw the film the night before i started on the work at the studio. I was very angry after seeing this film - but I could not say no to the work - it would have been unprofessional of me to do so at the last minute. I was relieved at the end of the two days of work and was happy to say goodbye to this film and it's maker.

I've watched this movie and i've been moved to tears.

The movie is very over whelming and has some brilliant cinematography and acting.

I would've never been able to tell, if it was made by someone who's NOT Indian, if I hadn't known before hand.

It has some really subtle and powerful acting by Prashant and Tanishta. If it had been an Indian movie, it would've been a sure contender for the Oscars.

Whoever watches it, should be ready to change his mindset and place himself in a different setting - that of where the movie's placed.

I read the review above and thought it was rather pseudo intellectual. It seems more like he/she is lashing out with some personal vengeance to someone! Or maybe he/she reviewed the wrong movie here! ANyway, to each his own! "I" personally loved the movie and I've been recommending it to EVERY single person.

Certainly, a MUST WATCH

Director Florian Gallenberger, in his first full length feature film has come up with a true gem of a movie. A heartwarming tragic love story set in Calcutta, India (pre independence). It is a must watch for anyone who hates the popular Indian movie scene (a.k.a Bollywood). The acting and cinematography are brilliant. I disagree with the above reviewer's comments although myself an Indian, the movies mentioned by him are for people who do not appreciate good cinema, please stay away from them as far as possible...it's a Warning. I hope the director gives our very own Indian directors a few lessons in film making so that we don't have to put up with the regular muck (bollywood i.e.) churned out year after year. Watch this one and you will not be disappointed.

It might draw some tears from some people, but not from me (and there are films that I cry in). It's the kind of tear-jerker that is meant as Oscar-bait.

This is your standard boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds her again. Oh, and of course the boy is good-looking. The girl is beautiful. Because they are moral and hard-working, they do well in life.

Yes, there are poor kids ripped off and abused by unscrupulous adults, but if you didn't already know that, you need to travel more.

I agree with comeau and khajoor; this is "third world pathos".