When it comes to family, it’s always complicated.
Written and directed by Ian Harmarine, Doubles tells the story of Dhani (Sanjiv Boodhu), a Trinidadian street vendor who is forced to travel to Toronto in order to retain information from his estranged father, Ragbir (Errol Sitahal). However, as he discovers the severity of his father’s illness, Dhani opts to stay with his father temporarily in a moment of (admittedly, tense) support for him. However, this also forces him to make difficult decisions about how he can care for a man he barely knows—and what his responsibilities to him truly are.
Admittedly, there’s something undeniably charming about Doubles. Although the film isn’t biographical, it’s clear that Harmarine has poured his soul into the film. There’s an intimacy and complexity between his characters that simply feels authentic. For example, Harmarine ensures that each character’s past affects the way that they interact in realistic ways. Fumbling through the brokenness of their relationship, they struggle to move on from the hurts of the past, leading to awkwardness and frustration.
In essence, they don’t know each other. So, what does it mean to care for each other?
It’s worth noting that Doubles takes joy in the dual meaning of its title. On the surface, it begins as a reference to the food that Ragbir prepares with such joy. However, it also asks a question of identity. As Dhani reconnects with his father, the film taps into the unique relationship between fathers and their sons. Although he hasn’t known Ragbir for most of his life, there’s something undeniable about their relationship. The more that they spend time together, the more that similarities seem to arise between them. In this way, Harmarine suggests that there’s something inevitable about the parent-child relationship, even amidst separation from them.
But at its core, Doubles is a film about the relationship between home and culture. To Dhani, home has always been Trinidad. Upon visiting his father in Toronto, he is a stranger in a strange land, hoping to move on quickly. Yet, eventually, Dhani begins to find himself torn between two worlds. With each new relationship, he begins to see what it means to bring your family history into a new space. (In fact, for many others that he meets, they’re attempting to do the same thing.) In this film, home is where you’re from. But, not necessarily exclusively.
Because, in Doubles, home can follow you.
It’s these subtle moments of beauty that define Doubles. Harmarine has crafted a narrative of beauty and heart that taps into the souls of those trying to find their place, both in the world and at home. And that’s what makes the film most delicious.
Doubles is available on VOD on Tuesday, August 27th, 2024.
