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Releasing on Dec 27, 2024
- 2024
- R
- Metrograph Pictures
- 2 h
- 2024
- R
- Metrograph Pictures
- 2 h
Summary A government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh inherit her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low-caste girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
Directed By: Sandhya Suri
Written By: Sandhya Suri
- 2024
- R
- Metrograph Pictures
- 2 h
- 2024
- R
- Metrograph Pictures
- 2 h
Santosh
76
User Score
User reviews are not available yet
tbd
Summary A government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh inherit her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low-caste girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
Directed By: Sandhya Suri
Written By: Sandhya Suri
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 6 Critic Reviews
76
100% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 6 Critic Reviews
76
100% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Santosh positions its protagonist as a fundamentally decent woman in an impossible situation, rather than a crusading cop on mission. If ‘Training Day with more grey areas’ sounds dull, it’s anything but.
It’s a terrific feature debut from British-Indian documentary filmmaker Sandhya Suri – a propulsive neo-noir that holds up a mirror to contemporary India.
As Santosh closes in on the suspect, who has absconded for another town, Suri’s film embraces the nail-biting aesthetics — dark and shadowy locales, heart-racing music — of a classic procedural. This assured sense of direction coupled with controlled performances make Santosh a compelling drama. But it’s Suri’s screenplay that renders the film immersive.
Suri’s film is full of non-actors who excel at being themselves in front of the camera, the result so eminently watchable because it feels so remarkably like the real India.
It’s incredibly effective and culminates in one of the best closing shots of any film to show at this year’s festival. Without ever once overplaying its hand, it ensures the smallest act of resistance and compassion hits like a train.
While often more intellectually stimulating than emotionally engaging, Santosh lays bare the dark heart of communal divisions in modern India.
User Reviews
tbd
Production Company
Haut et Court,
Razor Film Produktion GmbH,
Suitable Pictures,
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF),
ARTE,
L'Aide aux Cinémas du Monde,
Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC),
Institut Français,
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC),
British Film Institute (BFI),
Good Chaos,
Production Scope
Release Date Dec 27, 2024
Duration 2 h
Rating R
Awards
British Independent Film Awards
• 4 Nominations
Jerusalem Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Cannes Film Festival
• 1 Nomination