Directed by Vaibhav Gattani
Starring Yuvradnyee, Vaibhav Gattani, Sanya Sagar and Apoorv Kumar
An English and Hindi language contemporary drama that curiously explores a sensitive subject matter, particularly for women, Void presents the common scenario of a couple trying to conceive, yet running short of options and solutions to achieve their simple dream.
As falling pregnant via natural conventions slips further away for 28-year-old Rhea (Yuvradnyee), the pressure and shame she feels from failing societal expectation simultaneously rises and plunges her into a permanent state of sadness. Despite the hopelessness she feels, Rhea is resolute in seeking people for a solution rather than sympathy, which eventually leads her and her husband, Abhijeet (played by this film’s debutant director, Vaibhav Gattani) to a clinical hypnotist who believes a dreadlocked Norwegian Shaman by the name of Blue Skies (Sanya Sagar) can guarantee success.
Their problems don’t end there though. This enticing yet dubious referral must be kept secret, Blue Skies isn’t exactly accepting new clients and her price goes well beyond monetary means, which makes Rhea question if she can trust the process and test just how far she is willing to go to achieve her dream.
As if those aforementioned conundrums weren’t already enough for the couple to deal with, the revelation of a long-held secret threatens to shatter their future together too.
Unfortunately for Void, the film itself will likely have more than its fair share of irreconcilable differences with viewers. While it is director Vaibhav Gattani’s intention for his film to be subtle and open to interpretation as it also intends to explore the perplexities of human relation and behaviour involving all main characters, it is itself void as an overall production. Almost immediately noticeable is the very still camerawork and one lengthy take after another. To paint the picture a little for you, the average number of shots in a regular feature film is 1,045 whereas Void just has 218, which equates to the average duration of a shot here lasting 26.2 seconds. Before I say why exactly this is a problem, I must first mention one other statistic. The final screenplay of the movie consists of just 37 pages, with only the basic scene and dialogues added to the screenplay. The usual convention is 1 page equalling 1 minute and the final screenplay reaching at least 96 pages.
First, I must give credit to Vaibhav Gattani for thinking creatively about how to present this story, which he co-wrote, and for his courage to resist convention. I’m confident we’ll see his ideas and vision better executed in future endeavours than they are here. Vaibhav wanted the actors to have and deliver their own unique interpretation of the emotions their characters experience. Though we do see an emotive and well-acted performance from Yuvradnyee, the acting often needed more guidance from the script than it provides. What’s really going on inside their minds isn’t clear or convincing enough, especially at times it needs to be. The movie’s visual stillness and slowness adversely exposes the screenplay’s lack of emotional and psychological depth and gives the production an amateur look and feel. In direct comparison, a beautiful scene where Rhea and Abhijeet dance with one another was instrumental with its use of lighting, colour, and camerawork. Void would have greatly benefitted from more of this.
There is one more problem that must be mentioned and addressed. Without revealing anything specific, viewers ought to know that Rhea’s sessions with her cult practitioner lead her to making a truly horrifying decision. One of two things needed to happen for this development to justify its enormity; seize the opportunity to entirely commit hereon to the horror genre or acknowledge and appropriately convey its effect while remaining a supernatural drama. Sadly, Void does neither, rendering it incomprehensible and feeling unfinished by the end.
Why not check-out and form your own interpretation and opinion of Void by renting or buying the film via this link – Void.
Moviedoc thanks director Vaibhav Gattani for the contacting him directly to request a review of his debut feature film and for providing a link to watch and review the film.
Review by Leigh for Moviedoc
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