Director Nasir Uddin Yousuff Bachchu’s latest feature film “Alpha” was screened at Shilpakala Academy this Saturday evening. No seat was left empty in the auditorium to watch this brave nonlinear experimentation, even amidst heavy rain. A decent film that picks your brain, and paints an accurate picture of contemporary Bangladesh at the same time, “Alpha” transcends a director’s personal ambitions, and enters the realm of authentic art.
Premise:
Alpha, aka Artist, is a painter who lives in the middle of a lake, away from the bustle of the city. His peaceful existence is shattered when a dead body floats to his home, and he feels obligated to bury it. Other misfortunes claims the lives of people he came across in the city, where he sells his rickshaw paintings. As his world crumbles down at the clasp of these lamentable events, he seeks refuge in a dream world, where he appears as a hermaphrodite living in blissful isolation.
Catherine Masud’s editing and more:
The first thing I noticed about this film was the maturity it had in every department. The editing by Catherine Masud was very measured, making the pacing of the film just right. The sound design complemented the escalation of the story. Dialogues were spare, and natural, giving each character a separate voice.
Socially conscious narrative:
There wasn’t a dull moment in this socially mindful tale. Political unrest of an unspecified near past was compared to the turbulent curfews sometime between the late 60s, and the mid 70s. Nothing remains constant, no matter how hard Alpha tries to remove himself from society. The artist’s work gets replaced by digital billboards, and the movie stars in his paintings must make way for mosques.
Iconic imagery:
Alpha walking the streets of Dhaka with a rented donkey to carry his paintings- is one of the iconic images this movie creates. The donkey belongs to a hermaphrodite who wishes nothing more than to be a mother. Gender fluidity in Bengal has been boldly addressed in this film with such characters, and performances of travelling Bauls, and Jatra troupes. There are many more references to South Asian, and European mythology, and theology that remains for the scholarly to decipher.
Things I would change:
There isn’t much that can be said here without giving away plot points. How the film resolved the pregnancy issue of actor Doyel’s character seemed far fetched. Alpha’s reaction to the deaths of certain acquaintances also seemed less organic as he didn’t have much interaction with them.
I felt there were some small gaps that needed to be filled. For instance, when the police come to Alpha’s home in the middle of the lake to look for the dead body, wouldn’t they address the fact that he lives in this supremely peculiar setting, and if it’s even legal?
There were a few scenes here and there where he travels through a forest, and indigenous people help him out under mysterious circumstances. The “Guerrilla” director didn’t elaborate what those seemingly incoherent scenes were for.
Amidst a herd of substandard films made with the agenda to enter substandard film festivals, “Alpha” was a breath of fresh air. It wasn’t formulated to please a culturally ambiguous middle class either. The film suffered both in its commercial, and festival run for this reason. However, the pursuit of creating art for art’s sake paid off in the hands of this seasoned director.