STARCH | Omeleto
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- Опубліковано 26 січ 2025
- An Indian woman steals from her in-laws.
STARCH is used with permission from Ajai Vishwanath. Learn more at ajaivishwanath....
Indira is a young Indian immigrant wife and mother living in Sydney, Australia in the 1990s. She and her family are in a precarious financial situation. Her husband has been looking for work, to no avail, and she's doing her best to be resourceful and make ends meet, even though the family doesn't yet have a car.
But her in-laws are also visiting, and she tries to hide the family struggles from them, eating less food so that her mother- and father-in-law will have normal portions to eat while Indira drinks the starchy water from her cooking to compensate. But when her husband hits another disappointing setback, Indira faces a crisis point and must choose between her pride and her conscience.
Directed and written by Ajai Vishwanath, this poignant and personal short family drama combines an exploration of financial hardship and moral choices with a beautifully observed portrait of Australian immigrant life, tracing Indira's often lonely struggles to care for her family while trying to present a picture of success. Opening in media res with a scene of Indira trying to steal a grocery cart to lug her groceries on a long carless walk home, we're immediately privy to her struggles.
But the additional pressures of her in-laws -- and the way Indira and her husband must present a false picture of success to them -- add more to the picture, detailing the emotional toll of financial struggle and Indira's loneliness through it all. There are moments of levity in the classic set-up of a spouse dealing with the in-laws, but overall, Indira's emotional journey is a serious one.
Much of the film takes place in the confines of the home, where Indira bustles about, cooking, cleaning and caring for her family as a traditional wife and mother. She often sacrifices her comfort and even food so that her loved ones can exist in comfort and in the illusion that she and her husband are fine. But actor Gayatri Patel Bahl's subtle but expressive performance makes clear the toll this act takes on her and her marriage, exacerbated by how she hides those struggles to save her and her husband's pride.
Well-paced and understated in tenor, the storytelling is naturalistic and intimate, putting us in the mind and heart of Indira as she balances the many needs pulling at her. Its approach to developing conflict is more on the slow build-up than a series of explosions, but that more psychological approach helps us feel the weight of a quiet but major decision on Indira's part -- one she feels driven to because of desperation, but one that she also knows is wrong.
For the latter part of STARCH, Indira carries the emotional weight of her moral quandary on top of everything else, and tension builds over the possible discovery of her actions. But she soon discovers a spot of unexpected grace and understanding where she least expects it, from someone who understands the role that Indira plays in the family and the burdens she shoulders. For a moment, she feels seen and heard, transforming her perspective and restoring a sense of goodness in her self and life.
Felt like I had stood invisible in the corner of someone's home and watched life, difficult and challenging, being lived.
It was nice that her mother in law was so understanding.
It's horrible how pride and stigma can prevent someone from asking for help. 😢
Indian culture is very cruel generally. Children are mostly punished for perceived failures. The mother in law is exceptionally kind but most are very critical and judgemental 😢
How horrible that racism was likely the reason for this father's inability to get a job as a salesman when he was a full trained engineer.
What a film! So many beautiful themes, superbly executed. Very inspiring to see how such a short film can have such a big impact. Great acting and direction. Big Kudos to the whole team.
Excellent! Great acting.
In some cultures the people have so much pride that it makes asking for help very difficult. 😢
So seemingly simple but such a beautiful film. Deeply touching. Incredible acting and production. Exactly why I love Omeleto: to come across some absolute masterpieces!
Wow, that hit home!
Back in the day I had a young family and no jobs, even though I had a trade. So I managed to get employment in a new country, but that was going to take money that we didn't have. So embarrassingly I had to ask family and friends for money. The new job paid off, and I was able to pay off all the money I had borrowed.
So yeah, this was a film that hit very close to real life!
What did the shopping cart signify? Why did she take it and why did she decide to bring it back ?
She took it so her son could sleep in it. And she brought it back because she realised that the woman she hated (the one from the supermarket) was also a mom like her with her own frustrations in life and just trying to provide for her own child.
Immigrant 's Life in a foreign land..well picturised...
Kudos to Ajai and his team.. Congratulations ..👏..
Best wishes for future ventures,👍👍
What a beautiful film. ❤❤❤
Very good cinematography and I just felt the story, wanted to watch more and more,.
Changed my perspective. Well done.
They could have just spoken in whatever language they already knew instead of butchering Tamil pronunciations like this 😭😭😭
Excellent film!
Heart touching
Female actor Gayatri Patel did a fabulous job.... It was not acting at all it seemed.
I like that name. I had a hot coworker named Gayatri
Woahh that indian girl is fantastic
what a brilliant short film....
Touching film...❤
Tamil bring spoken is painful to hear! Wonder why they couldn't take Tamil speaking actors for this
Excellent 👏
Beautiful! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Does anyone even read the description for intell its all there instead of saying i dont get it?!!!
No, people are lazy. If you watch any recap channels, there are always comments asking what the name of the movie or tv series is because they are too lazy to read the description or even notice that the title is clearly listed at the bottom of the screen. Even if someone else provides the name or title, someone will ask if it's a movie or tv series instead of doing a google search to find the answer.
A very good story! 🤗
i cant even. I feel the 'im an immigrant to Australia and its hard to fit in' vibes in the first few minutes. same story every time. guess what its the same for everyone and its only gotten more terrifying the more immigation that happens. No one is decent to each other. Feels likle the culture we had of kindess is sapped by other cultures PSTD
Starchy 😅
Thank God ❤😂🎉😢😮😅😊
how can i be apart of one of these?
If ur on about acting you cant omeleto doesnt make all of these they just air it
Who did she get that help from?
Yeah people in India think it’s all such a millionaire life when the first generation comes to the US or UK.
But my father and others coming on student or work visa had a very tough life. Especially, on work visa.
It’s just my generation is the one that might have it better just because of the hard work of the first generation.
I don't get it. What did she need a shopping cart for?? The movie didn't make any sense.
Is it a case of the movie not making sense, or you not being able to make sense of it? Try watching it a second time, perhaps...and take in all that is going on.
Read the synopsis. She needs that cart for the long way home.
The son was sleeping in it... explains @9:30
Shes walking home...hokding groceries is harder then just pushing a cart
The aunt says when are you going to get a proper bed for the child. She put a blanket in the cart. Where is your brain?