A darkly comic film about the inherently absurd concept of knowing a person intimately one day and then wanting nothing to do with them the next.
By Vishesh Mankal
Cinema means different things to different people. Some people want their cinema to portray physical reality. Others prefer a more abstract approach. Writer-Director Ritika Chauhan’s “Winding Up” is a film that attempts to find a balance between the two approaches and mostly emerges with flying colours. This is a film that unfolds fairly realistically and at the same time takes some interesting detours. It is both tactile and illusive, making for an interesting watch.
It's mostly about two (or three, depending on how you look at it) people trying to deal with the mess that inevitably follows an acrimonious separation after a long-term relationship. Such a dry summary makes the film sound like a drag. Luckily, however, this is not the case at all. Peppered throughout the film are several darkly comic and ultimately heartbreaking detours that will keep you guessing as to exactly where the film is headed. And where it ends up story-wise will leave you questioning the role that one’s own ego plays in sabotaging one’s life. The first aforementioned detour is sure to catch you by surprise and leave you slightly bemused. As you settle into the film, however, the detours start to become expected and for a brief moment the film runs the risk of becoming predictable. It is then ultimately the strength of Ritika Chauhan’s writing that keeps the film going by pulling a different rabbit out of the hat every time the story takes an abstract turn. She makes sure that the film never talks about the same thing twice.
All said and done, while all the various departments have done a fair job, the film mainly runs on the strength of its writing and editing. Ritika Chauhan and her editor Vinay Topal make some interesting choices as far as the editing is concerned. The two of them let scenes play out in long takes and only cut when absolutely necessary. And the abstract parts are integrated remarkably seamlessly into the film from an editing standpoint, sometimes making you question which versions of events are real and which ones are playing out in the protagonist’s head and nearly always catching you off-guard. Chauhan’s blocking and use of space is also interesting as she keeps the action moving throughout, never settling for the dreaded “talking head” style of filmmaking, which regrettably often is the first and last refuge of many filmmakers, accomplished or otherwise.
As mentioned previously, inspite of dealing with such a dreary subject matter, “Winding Up” is not a difficult watch at all. In fact, it’ll have you grinning and chuckling throughout, before delivering a rather poignant final blow that is sure to give you pause and make you reflect. Give this film a watch if you are in the mood for a different yet compelling short film that has some interesting things to say about how we try to hold on to what is gone and how we deal with what remains.
Watch this short on YouTube, Disney+Hotstar, MX Player, Hungama Play & Vi Movies.
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