TEAFF 22: All five films in competition sections, but how many did I watch?

TEAFF 22: All five films in competition sections, but how many did I watch?

As a rule, I try to see as many competition films as possible. Maybe I labour under the delusion that all films entered in the competition sections of various film festivals must be state-of-the-art and better than the rest, therefore they are chosen for consideration. Sometimes I end up watching mediocre films, and at other times, they are definitely above average. At the Third Eye Asian Film Festival (TEAFF) 22, 2026, I got lucky. The standard of the competition was high, though this, in itself, does not reflect on the quality of the non-competitive sections.

On Wednesday, 14 January, the sixth day of the festival, sadly, I could watch only 2 ¼ competition films.

Kimdin (India: Nilesh Mohandas Navalakha) was the debut film of well-known Marathi film producer, Nilesh Navalakha (Fandry, Shala). He had directed a short, titled, I’m’potent, which I have not seen. In spite of all my efforts, I could only reach the Mini-Theatre at Ravindra Natya Mandir complex to watch only the last few minutes of the film. Since it was the climax, I will not tell you what I saw, but judging from the encomiums showered of the team by the audience after the screening, particularly upon the Milind Shine, the actor who played the serial killer, it must have been a good film. Kimdin is the supernatural being that enters the protagonists body and commits a series of murders. This is quite a departure from the kind of films

Navalakha has produced, like Fandry and Shala, and I was impressed by his confidence in taking up such a subject. With a screenplay by Sanjay Sonawani (spelling according to the catalogue), the film caught one’s imagination even after watching only the climax. I have requested Navalakha to send me a screener, so that I can watch the full film and review it. He said he would, but has yet to respond.

Romantic Affairs (India: Monjul Baruah)

An extremely sensitive subject, deftly handled. A teenage girl, under 18 (not legally an adult), arrives at a hospital, along with a man, who appears to be in his late 20s, to get an abortion. The man says he is her husband. However, the hospital staff gets suspicious. After the routine tests related to the abortion, they ask the couple to return after a couple of days, for the operation. When they arrive, he is arrested. The hospital staff have informed the police, the girl’s father and the man’s family, that the man is under suspicion of having raped a minor, and would be put in jail, awaiting trial. It turns out that the man is employed in the girl’s father’s car garage as a mechanic, while she is a school-going teenager. He is her silent lover, but denies having raped her. Moreover, the duo has no proof of their marriage, and their impersonations, as man and wife, are soon seen through. Neither the girl nor the man come out with the facts, so the man remains in custody, while the girl is allowed to go scot-free. One would think on familiar lines, that the girl was raped by someone else, and the man decided to take the blame upon himself. You could even imagine that she is the victim of domestic rape. But from here onwards, Monjul’s screenplay takes you completely by surprise. He is not afraid to show thugs, operating in the name of religion, and extorting money from innocent people under the pretext of organising festivals and religious events. The only weak part is the character of the old man in jail, who tells tales with morals, and narrates stories from the religious epics of Hindus stories, to all his fellow inmates, all the time. Romantic Affairs has a misleading title; the film is not about romance at all, and nobody has an affair. Maybe it has a more apt Assamese title. Excellent performances.

Rating: *** ½

Shape of Momo (India: Tribeni Rai)

Another misleading, albeit catchy, title. This Indian competition film, in the Nepali language, and apparently based in Sikkim, uses momo only as a metaphor. The protagonist, a girl who has returned home for her college vacation, cannot make momos of perfect shape, although they taste fine. Perhaps screenplay writer Kislay and director Tribeny wanted to show a parallel in the girl’s life. She is a misfit in the remote village which is her home, though she is well-intentioned. During her visit, several vital developments take place. The family, who is harvesting fruits in their orchard, offers them a paltry sum for the orange crop, pleading poverty. Moreover, the girl’s mother asks the family to look for another place to live because they are going to develop that piece of land. But the family is shocked at this development and pleads with the owner to let them stay. Close to their house, a resort is being built, under the supervision of an architect, who is the son of the local politician, a very handsome man. The girl meets him, and discusses plans for opening a home-stay at her own, large property. She also develops a crush on him, during their interactions. Sadly, that is where their relationship remains, till the end of the film.

During her stay, her grandmother dies. Described as a poignant meditation on womanhood and resilience in a changing society, the film fails to rise significant levels. Is the protagonist an actress who wears half a frown permanently, or have they made her look that way? Either way, the look weakens the character. At 142 minutes, it was, perhaps, the longest film I saw at TEAFF. You might still watch it, for the serene and stunningly beautiful locale and excellent performances.

Rating: **