“Coward”: [rating: 5/5]
Taking place during World War I, “Coward” tells the story of two cousins fighting in the trenches. Under horrible conditions and despite all odds, Private Patterson (Martin McCann) fights to keep his promise to protect his younger cousin (Sean Stewart).
In just slightly under 30 minutes, “Coward” takes the audience on a wild, emotional ride from idyllic Irish countryside to horrifying war-torn fields in Europe. It’s enough to cause you whiplash, but the best kind.
At least you’ll have something to blame the tears on if it does happen.
“Chittagong”: [rating: 5/5]
There are many words one could use to describe the Savannah Film Festival offering “Chittagong,” but only one seems appropriate. Power.
There’s power in practically every aspect of this film, the kind of power that makes a film memorable, the kind of power that starts uprisings.
It’s the 1930s in British India, and 14-year-old Jhunku (Delzad Hiwale) just wants to finish his studies, go to Oxford and maybe hang out with his crush Aparna (Sauraseni Maitra). His fate is taken out of his hands however, as he is betrayed by a family friend and called a traitor by his friends. Impulsively, Jhunku joins an army of schoolboys led by their teacher Surya Sen (Manoj Bajpai). What follows is a journey of self-discovery unlike any that’s been on the big screen in quite a while.
It doesn’t take long for the film to feel pleasantly overpowering. At a certain point in the film, the people of Jhunku’s town are having a traditional celebration. As the party begins and people start to dance and mingle, the camera switches from subject to subject with a steady, but not very fast pace. There’s a familiarity there, welcoming us in. But then, Charles Johnson (Alexx O’Nell), the violently cruel chief of police strolls in.
Suddenly, the camera is cutting away more and more erratically. Colors blur into one another, smoke rising from incense seems to grow thicker and thicker and music comes from all sides, growing louder and louder. Everything culminates in Johnson shooting a man and leaving him for dead. Credit should go to cinematographer Eric Zimmerman for this scene in particular. All the elements blend so well that you’re as surprised and outraged by the murder as the rest of the villagers.
This murder sets off Jhunku’s path as a boy soldier in Surya Sen’s army, and lets Delzad Hiwale shine. This isn’t a knock on the other actors in the film; there are consistently good performances throughout it. Manoj Bajpai in particular plays Surya Sen powerfully. You can see a man that believes in his mission for freedom and yet is conflicted about the fate of the boys that fight for him. Yet Hiwale still stands out.
Long-limbed and awkward, Jhuku as played by Hiwale is a lovable bookish boy. As he trains alongside his friends and fellow soldiers, he falls continually behind in physical prowess. He’s every nerdy friend from most modern American comedies, which makes the moments when he picks up a gun and shoots British officers down all the more striking.
Perhaps the best scene that showcases his talent comes after the battles. Jhunku has been captured and is being interrogated. He refuses to speak and holds his head high, defiant. The audience, for one second, is given a glimpse into his future, his still boyish face masking a strength tempered by being on the run from the forces of the British Empire.
And then the beating starts, and the defiant man is replaced by the scared, yet still silent, teenage boy.
Very few movies cause one to root for the main character so completely. But “Chittagong” is one of them. Jhunku’s cause becomes our cause, and we’re all but forced to remain in our seats and hope that the battle will end with him on the winning side.
