Ashish is lost. Depressed, apathetic and harbouring ocean levels of resentment, his mind is haunted by the anxiety of selling his first novel- white publishers don’t want a non-exotic Indian story. His spirit is disturbed by the aftermath of his parent’s divorce. He is irritable, short with his mother, judgemental of his brother, and has no contact with his father. He spends his nights partying with friends and his mornings sleeping in.
Travelling daily from the Scarborough suburbs to Toronto, he attempts to write but can’t cut through the noise, each day has a little less direction than the last. That is until he meets Claire and finds out about his father’s Parkinson’s Disease.
This film’s core is a story about a young man cut off from himself- his anger, disappointments, and dreams. His life has gone in a direction he never imagined and instead of addressing the reality of it all, he blames everyone else for how he is feeling, not realizing his resentment is poisoning his life and the people around him. There are so many wonderful elements to this story- the first being the incredible performances. These actors are ACTING! Each character feels layered and real; the supporting actors shine in their scenes and the family dynamic pulls the viewer into their conflict, you feel as if it’s your own.
Amar Wala’s first dramatic feature truly captures the intoxicating feeling of living in the GTA; the love/hate relationship that hovers as a ghostly presence in the everyday life of immigrants, and it’s beautiful and nostalgic to watch.
There are also low points; Ashish is dealing with many things simultaneously, and sometimes it was hard to pinpoint what the director was trying to say. The other issue is the hyper-fixation on his white girlfriend’s “whiteness”. Their connection is sensual and tender but the constant jokes about how “white” she is acts almost like a fetish, undermining how powerful their connection is.
That being said, I feel like this is a TIFF winner; I look forward to seeing more films by Wala, his perspective is rich and he really understands the essence of living in the GTA.
Shook is playing at TIFF ’24. For more information, click here.
