325. Beyond The Clouds; movie review

BEYOND THE CLOUDS
Cert 12A
119 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, sexual threat, drug references, strong language

Two or three times a year, the music stops and Indian cinema lifts the veil on what real life is like on the sub-continent.
By that I am sad to report that I mean grinding poverty and disease-ridden slums - far away from the white-walled homes of the usual characters in Bollywood movies.
Majid Majidi's Beyond The Clouds centres on the people against whom the system is stacked in terms of living standards, job opportunities and even health provision.
The consequence is that either seek riches by breaking the law or sink into a benign acceptance of their wretched surroundings.
It stars Ishaan Khattar as Amir, a happy-go-lucky Mumbai street boy, who earns money by working for a local crime lord (Shashank Shende).
However, his life changes after he becomes too cocky and suddenly finds himself being chased the police through the back streets.
Finally, he seeks out his meek sister (Malavika Mohanan) but involving her has terrible repercussions for both of them.
Beyond The Clouds touches lots of bases in its condemnation of Indian society from its legal system, its prisons, the cost of health services to accommodation.
I don't want to give more away anything more about the movie because it has so many surprises which are shocking and uplifting in equal measure.
Suffice to say that its little-known cast are superb with Khattar and Mohanan utterly convincing in the lead roles.
They play out a deeply thoughtful script by Majidi and Mehran Kashani.

Reasons to watch: Gritty drama which delves into the heart of India
Reasons to avoid: Heartbreaking poverty

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8.5/10

Director quote - Majid Majidi: "Struggling people are my heroes. I am not glorifying poverty, it is bad. (But) I believe that a person has a lot of interior values that we do not see."

The big question - Why is the gulf between haves and have nots so huge in this emerging economy.

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