Slideshow
FIRE IN THE MOUNTAINS
ENDS TODAY
3:30
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY AJITPAL SINGH
All 6:30 shows through Thursday, June 2 will be followed by a Q&A filmmaker Ajitpal Singh, moderated by journalist/film programmer Bedatri D. Choudhury, recorded especially for our run.
Co-presented by The New York Indian Film Festival.
In northern India, a breathtakingly beautiful Himalayan community attracts tourists by comingling South Asian and Swiss Alps aesthetics. Debut filmmaker Ajitpal Singh tells an unconventional story of feminist strength while “accentuating the [region’s] spectacular exteriors and wide-canvas nature shots” (Variety). One local woman competes with her neighbors for business while battling the strictures of patriarchy, a local infrastructure from hell, and religious superstitions. She saves money, uses feminine wiles to subvert the corrupt powers-that-be, and piggy-backs her son up and down the mountainside to medical appointments with condescending doctors. In the end, our heroine’s tightly wound grit must find release… in triumph, or madness, or both.
2021 83 MINS INDIA IN HINDI WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES KINO LORBER
Reviews
“Breathtaking vistas of green hills, waterfalls, and snowy mountaintops.”
– Carlos Aguilar, RogerEbert.com
“Like PATHER PANCHALI in the age of AirBnb and TikTok, FIRE IN THE MOUNTAINS emphatically dramatizes the struggles that locals face in a place where tourists come to play.”
– Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire
“A warm hearted, unsentimental portrait of a struggling family in the foothills of the Himalayas. The engaging characters, beautiful landscapes and confident storytelling all contribute to an appealing film. Singh constantly underlines the ironies and realities for Indian families living far from city centers. There is an echo of some John Ford classics… or the films of Satyajit Ray or Hirokazu Kore-eda”
– Allan Hunter, Screen Daily
“A poignant blend of science and culture. An enigmatic and intoxicating experience. Singh weaves a subtly complex narrative through a family’s multicultural conflict between healing through science versus religious faith. The screenplay is remarkably ambitious. (With) hypnotic and captivating directorial flair that serves to create a transcendent climax. With surrealist touches…a masterfully atmospheric finale that will leave one shaken. A subtly unique experience.”
– Diego Andaluz, The Film Stage