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First, the Recap:
Devotion. It’s a strong word that can apply to so many facets of our lives. Whether it is dedication to our careers, or the absolute adoration we share with a spouse, or standing firmly for a cause we believe in, all points to there being an unwavering commitment being met. When it comes to family, however, despite this idea being what our relationship SHOULD be with them, sometimes life just has a way of trying to upend how we feel and act towards those who’ve supported us from birth and beyond. For a young man named Adi (Aakash Prabhakar), a long spell away from his mother (Sheeba Chaddha) has been a welcome relief. However, now that she has initiated the two meeting together again for a drive through the city, the time spent becomes a journey of still-existing tension, revealing of common ground, and a possible reconciliation that will deeply affect them both–one step at a time.
Next, my Mind:
Rushed decisions, deep-seated assumptions, the ever-fluctuating volatility of relationships, held-in resentments, broken promises, and potency of recollection, and the doors to inner healing between two hearts as only experienced parent to child is all stirringly explored with beautiful, entertaining, intelligent, realistic style in just twelve briskly-paced minutes through this charmingly engaging short film from writer/director Sudharshan Narayanan, writer/co-lead actor Aakash Prabhakar, producer Here & Now Entertainment, and executive producer Earth & Water Pictures. Reveling in its NYC Premier at the NYC South Asian Film Festival sponsored by Toyota USA and hosted by Festival Director/Jingo Media Founder Jitin Hingorani and Artistic Director Ambica Dev, it was proof positive yet again that the wonder of short film and how impactful it can be when executed in superb fashion is a force to be reckoned with and a format that more than deserves better acknowledgement and exposure to and by the filmmaking community and cinephiles.
Following a narrative focused on a mother reuniting with her son after a period of time via a car ride that turns into both a heated and a healing experience for them both, the film does a magnificent job at pulling us right into their initial drama which reveals the status of each of their lives and many of the reasons for the subsequent estrangement and still questionable choices that were made. More so on Adi’s part based on the circumstances he was not enthralled with that his mother was choosing to embark on, we’re given a very candid, wholly relatable scenario to consume and consider from our own instances when we and our parent (or parents) had a bit of disagreement and the consequential separation that often manifests because of it. Yet is this not, dare we say without question, the natural progression of any connection we have with our parents? These times will tend to happen, almost guaranteed, and can only discover a mending of fences when ALL parties involved are willing to put aside stubbornness to simply admit the truths in play.
This is wonderfully examined and expanded on here while additional thematic elements such as our habit of making up the most insane excuses as to why we haven’t chosen to reconnect when we promised to, to all the means by which we say we say “would have/should have” to events in hindsight, obviously housing the regrets we now feel for handling something wrongly, as well as being more and more open, even painfully honest, with the real reasoning that explains our actions is all brought to bear through the conversation we witness. Then, by the film’s final sequences, it’s a both heart-wrenching and heart-warming series of actualities that arise from them to finally bring about what could be the specific catalyst to then share mutually happier memories that a mother and son relish and hold dear. It gives the film the core purpose and deftly showcases the relationship between mother and son as something so overtly personal, transforming, and utterly intimate in the best, most influential ways for them both.
The basically one-setting visual presentation here allows us to remain totally undistracted and focused on what’s unfolding in front of us, and the music score from Prashanth Srinivas provides us with the perfect accompiament to fit the grander mood/tone of the film. Prabhakar brings to the table a completely apropos level of intentionally muted yet fully vibrant believability through his role here as Adi, a young man whose having to confront the past and ascertain the future via an initially awkward and tense car ride with his mother, whom he hasn’t seen or contacted in almost a half year. Upon entering, the immediate hesitations he has in even accepting the littlest show of affection from her is palpably moving, and as the ride goes on, his frustrations build as he speaks out as to why he’s been distant. Leading up to a key moment that changes everything and then the touching moments that follow, Prabhakar navigates this heavily shifting atmosphere with well-presented form, delivery, and convincing authenticity.
In a very similar manner and performance, accomplished veteran actress Chaddha bring an air of both playful fun and wholehearted dramatic gravity to her portrayal of Adi’s mother, an obviously loving and nurturing soul towards her beloved son with who she desperately wishes to be whole again with and re-establish the bond it seems apparent they’ve had in the past. Despite her initial methods to try and ease the strain between them, the resistance she meets is hurtful even as she may also try not to show it. Even as the conversation continues to get more intense, she does everything she can do to be a voice of reason while also being transparent about her own shortcomings that have caused Adi’s isolation from her. Even as their talk comes to a head, it leads to a delightfully sublime resolution that speaks volumes to her motherly sway on Adi. Her manner is so consummately winning, even in the more stressed instances, and Chaddha embodies these nuances with a poise and grace as only a seasoned actor truly brings out in a character.
So, in total, “The Long Drive” is decidedly anything but a tedious excursion. Rather, it’s a journey into the depths and foundational aspects of the mother/son partnership and close-knit attachment that we should all strive to have with the one who gave birth to us, for it’s a uniquely special, specific, measurably pronounced experience to be close with a parent, to acknowledge all the ways they’ve aided in shaping us into who we are, and that they will (or again, SHOULD) be that light that calls out to us in our need to say one, all-encompassing, refreshing, and greatly loving proclamation–come home.
Miss viewing “The Long Drive” at either physical festival? Worry not! You can still check out the film for another week online as it currently screens as part of the EXTENDED Virtual SAFF 2021!
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
