Homebound
Produced by Martin Scorsese, India’s Oscar submission is a tight blend of road movie and survival story about two friends travelling from their small home village.
A touching drama about friendship and inequality in India in the 2020s. Produced by Martin Scorsese, Homebound is a story about a pair of friends, portrayed by Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa, teaming up to pursue a better life. The film is Neeraj Ghaywan’s second feature length film, and it was India’s Oscar pick despite the government originally attempting to censor the work considerably. The film not only criticises India’s caste system and islamophobia, but it particularly highlights the hardships faced by migrant workers during the Covid-19 restrictions.
Shoaib and Chandan are best friends from a small Northern-Indian village. They decide to reach for a better life by seeking work elsewhere. When the Covid-19 restrictions hit, the pair is far from home but they must turn back. They have no choice but to walk the hundreds of kilometres home. Millions of migrant workers went through the same during the lockdown in India, many of whom didn’t make it back. Homebound is a road movie and a survival story tightly mixed in a film that you can expect to make you cry.
Siiri Siltala (translated by Ailiina Saaristo)
Screenings
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Kesäkino Engel (outdoor)Fri 18.9. at 21.30–23.32122 min, 1/2
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Bio Rex LasipalatsiSun 20.9. at 13.30–15.32122 min, 2/2