The Lunchbox: On Neorealism

The Lunchbox is a film I’m sure most haven’t heard of. Given only a minimal release in the states, it is a foreign film from India starring Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur that has recently stoked my interest in a very peculiar way.

Now much of the main tropes and story lines of the movie are very familiar to us as casual movie-goers. A man and a woman begin a mysterious yet strangely romantic and sincere romance solely through the use of letters. Of course the big narrative drive and tension in the film is the typical will they or won’t they. Yet what strikes me most about this film isn’t the plot, the characters, or even the fact I needed subtitles to watch.

What has made me move my fingers to type this article to you is the direction of the film.

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Of course the word “direction” when used in cinematic circles tends to emphasize something the director of the film does. Yet there is something different about The Lunchbox that makes me hesitant to assign all of my enamoring emotions to director Ritesh Batra. The way the film delicately uses elements of neorealism and  techniques that come with their names Capitalized from Bollywood and Hollywood to craft a story that is equal parts easy to view and digest, sincere and subtle, and beautifully told.

It has something to please everyone. The typical film goer who doesn’t mind the fact we have 8 Fast and the Furious movies will enjoy the consistent plot and immersion in a culture we rarely get to see up close here in the United States ( that of middle-class Mumbai, India). Likewise your self indulging film snob will appreciate the terrific performances of Khan and Kaur as well as the films nods and inspirations from other works such as Bicycle Thieves.

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The depth behind this film is incredible and I confidently put it alongside some of my other favorite neorealistic films such as Baran.
It is a masterfully crafted story that anyone who has an inkling as to what movies are will enjoy. But if you don’t, then you might just need to eat some Naan to realize the attention to detail put into this film.

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