236. October; movie review

OCTOBER
Cert 12A
115 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent bloody images, moderate injury detail

I have mused long and hard upon this but I don't see how I can write a review about Shoojit Sircar's October without there being at least a partial spoiler.
So, please be aware that you might trip over one or two during the following sentences.
It appeared to me that Sircar was trying to create a tearjerker but failed to make a big impact and, instead, wallowed in misery for almost the entire two hours.
This is largely down to the lack of exploration of the background of the film's main characters.
October stars Varun Dhawan as Dan, a trainee hotel manager who is disenchanted with having to spend his apprenticeship cleaning rooms and washing laundry.
He is lazy, arrogant and unfriendly and this poses the question of why the hotel management don't just sack him and why any of his colleagues stick with him.
But, just as I was drifting off because of the film's lack of focus, tragedy strikes and Dan reappraises his life.
The fundamental flaw with October is that it is never made clear what Dan's motivation is for either working in the hotel or what is really behind the later changes to his personality.
Indeed, he is so unsmilingly gloomy throughout the film that it could be perceived that October is an investigation of depression rather than a love story.
Sircar's film does offer an insight into the regimented life behind the scenes at a luxury Indian hotel but, otherwise, offers minimal pull.
And yet it scores just under 8/10 on Internet Movie Database, indicating a very positive reaction from public and critics.
I agree with one contributor who claims it mirrors the real world but I would say that the real world is mainly pretty dull. So is October.

Reasons to watch: A tearjerker with an original concept
Reasons to avoid: It will be far too heavy for some tastes

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 5/10

Director quote - Shoojit Sircar: "The word ‘unconditional’ is used like a jargon nowadays, but what is that unconditional love? In October, I’ve tried to create a situation where we can really experience what it means."

The big question - When is the right time to turn a ventilator off?

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