Goldfish Movie Review, Starring Kalki Koechlin, Deepti Naval
It is a beautiful, evocative and emotionally-heavy film that perfectly captures the strained, tenuous relationship between a mother-daughter, without making it overly melodramatic.
Rating: 3.5/5
Director: Pushan Kripalani
Cast: Kalki Koechlin, Deepti Naval, Rajit Kapur and Bharti Patel
Runtime:1h 43m
Goldfish Storyline:
Set in London, the story takes off when Anamika (Kalki) has to move back in to help her ageing Mother Sadhana (Deepti) cope with the onset of dementia.
The practical Anamika is eager to get back to her life and looks for a facility to put her Mother into while Sadhana wishes to continue living in the house normally for as long as possible. The bitterness between the two is apparent – Sadhana has left the house to her neighbouring grocer (Rajit) instead of her daughter in the will.
The simmering slow-burn film progresses, exploring nostalgia, melancholy, anger, and grief in stages as Anamika watches her Mother slowly wither away, becoming more and more oblivious to her past wrongs. Will Anamika cling to her grudges or forgive her demented Mother?
What Do We Think:
Goldfish is a hauntingly beautiful film that carefully captures the strained, tenuous relationship between a mother struggling with dementia and a resentful yet caring daughter.
It is the silent moments which fill in the gaps between the two – what is unsaid, says so much more. Kalki gets a wonderful, complicated, meaty character and she has captured the angst and nuances very well. The angry tension between her and Deepti rises and falls in perfect rhythm.
Goldfish is emotionally quite heavy without getting melodramatic or overly sentimental. Infused with some bittersweet moments, the film balances the tone with subdued drama, some unexpected humour and a heavy dose of pensiveness.
Deepti keeps the character as real as it gets; and gives such an immersive performance, that one can literally feel the memories fading from her mind. Goldfish is heartbreaking, evocative and at times so delicately shot, that it almost feels like we’re intruding on an intense, private moment.
Hit Or Miss:
A beautiful, independent film that truly deserves your attention! Catch in the theatres near you now –
(Also Read: Here’s WHY Kalki Koechlin Was INITIALLY REJECTED By Anurag Kashyap For ‘Dev D’ Movie!)
