Film Review: Cobalt Blue (2022)

Tanay (Dr. Neelay Mehendale) belongs to a traditional Marathi family and is a story narrator, commentator, and an exciting author who meets a family tragedy when the elders pass away. That leads to emptying the room of the deceased and is decided that they will add a paying guest into their house.

When a handsome paying guest joins the family, Tanay develops an interest in him and starts a secret passionate affair until an unwelcoming event hits the family further.

Cobalt Blue is based on a Marathi novel with the same title that Sachin Kundalkar wrote back in 2003. Decades later, Sachin writes and directs this film. So the creative control of the film is in Sachin’s hands. So that means it is totally okay if he takes liberty from his own novel to use it in the film with as many alterations as he wishes to.

Cobalt Blue heavily reminds me of Call Me By Your Name but it is quite a surprise that none of these copied each other because both were based on different novels. Call Me By Your Name was published four years after Sachin published Cobalt Blue.

Cobalt Blue is visually striking and very artistic. And when the filmmaking of such films gives cinematography its deserve piece of respect, the detailing of relation starts to look more compelling. This is a coming-of-age film that defines the first strike of love spell with authenticity. The film’s major win is the chemistry, two souls melting with eroticism and finding opportunities to quench their thirst. The depiction of rawness in the love affair is terrific. 

Sachin Kundalkar has made sure that quality literature plays an important role as Tanay is fittingly a dreamer who is excited about sharing beautiful moments with the paying guest.

When I watched Cobalt Blue, I felt as if I am reading Arundhati Roy‘s The God Of Small Things. So if you are also getting the same vibes, that means Cobalt Blue has an excellent narrative design.

Cobalt Blue tests patience because, with a screen time of around 115 minutes, this film looks quite lengthy. And is visibly slow. Prateik Babbar was average but Dr. Mehendale gave a terrific performance.

If you are willing to watch a coming-of-age film that has quality writing about sexuality, I’ll suggest checking this film on Netflix.

RATINGS: 7.5/10

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Film Review: The Tender Bar (2021)

The Tender Bar is a kind of film that has thoughtful elements of good and bad choices, regrets and lucks, learning and yearning, and goes deep to understand why life always entreats you to move on. This film is a subtle approach for a coming-of-age film to fix the equation of a generational attitude towards learning. With a credible narration, remarkable scenes, powerful dialogues, and an astonishing screenplay by William Monahan, The Tender Bar beautifully reflects on our own life and somewhere do we see ourselves there and agreeing with most of the points most of the major characters speak.

The Tender Bar also reflects on a disturbing childhood and we all audience can relate to the incidents happening in the film. The detailing of this film is done with meticulous care, even the shorter portions have your memories boxed somewhere like the elders smoking or using curse words in front of a child, grandpa farting, parents threatening, mama persuading to join the ranks of a certain institution, a conversation with a fellow passenger on the train, etc.

The Tender Bar bites to harsh realities and also hints you to some people who will always be truly yours, your guide, a parental figure under whose guidance you learn a lot of deal. The film is about accomplishing your targets, fulfilling your dreams, falling in love for the first time. The film is about keeping your mom happy after what she has been through.

The technicalities of this film are just excellent. Brilliant direction by George Clooney and he must get the deserving nomination for the Best Director in the Oscar, really fitting soundtracks, and magnificent performances by Lily Rabe, Tye Sheridan, and Ben Affleck. The latter definitely deserves a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Good to see Ben Affleck back in shape.

The Tender Bar is based on Pulitzer Prize-winning writer J. R. Moehringer‘s memoir of the same name easily the best coming-of-age film I have watched since Call Me By Your Name.

Ratings: 8.7/10