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First, the Recap:
What we leave behind, what we’ve held onto, and what we’ve hoped to relive and rekindle. Throughout life, those moments or relationships that are most treasured make for the hardest things to see end or fade into memory. If events transpire which bring such situations back into our paths, the question then arises–are we willing to simply enjoy it for what it will at this very juncture in time, or try too hard to try and turn it into what it formerly was? On this day, it has become such a dilemma for a young man named Vik (Rupak Ginn) who’s just been given opportunity to spend a few coveted hours with his now ex-girlfriend Meera (Pia Shah) who’s on her way to London on business via a layover at LAX.
It automatically becomes apparent that Vik’s desire to make the most of the time with her is motivated by his still-burning love towards her, while Meera seems more subdued, happy to see him, but maintaining a cautious distance even as the pair decide how they will spend this fleeting time together. Ultimately choosing to recreate one of the initial dates they had in the past, emotions begin to run high as images flood each of their minds, recalling those happier days and the close bond they shared, but also bringing about the reasons why the connection ended. As the instances pass and Meera has to leave, all the true feelings they have rise to the surface.
Next, my Mind:
With a highly subtle, uncomplicated execution and emotively grounded, delicately poignant authenticity, this nine minute short film effort from co-directors/co-writers Mahesh Pailoor and Anu Pradhan, screened at the 2019 Dallas Fort Worth South Asian Film Festival sponsored by Toyota USA, addresses its themes of lost love, the innate strength of reminiscence, the yearnings to revive what’s faded, and the accompanying inner struggle of totally letting go with muted intensity and earnestness that certainly befits this narrative of two former lovers experiencing the pangs of what once was and what cannot be again. We’ve all had this scenario occur, in one form or another, especially when it comes to the ties associated with the heart and affection towards that person whom we so deeply cherished, and being in their company again only brings about that profound, well-intended need to see it all come about again, which the film effectively illustrates via flashbacks of the couple’s interactions at a specific location they went on a previous date.
The rush of emotion and acts of evocation cause both fond happiness but also lingering sadness, which can then cause us to make desperate attempts to convince ourselves reconciliation or revitalization of that same passion will spontaneously happen, not wishing to admit that forcing something will only make one of both people suffer even more, this concept also being deftly portrayed as the film’s acutely melancholic but apropos finale comes about. Visually the effort is well shot, with its myriad of sequences efficiently highlighting the couple’s plight from start to finish. Bringing a preciseness and beautifully exercised finesse that completely works for the character, Ginn fully embodies the role of Vik, a man clearly pining for what he once had and what he now most longs for to be reborn upon reuniting with his former love Meera for precious hours while she is on layover in Los Angeles. To the point of having an initial pre-planned agenda on tap, his plans for their abbreviated time together get altered, but sends him down a heartwarming yet heartrending trip through their past via a past date they choose to reimagine.
When this only causes Vik to feel that much closer to Meera again, her initial acceptance of it turns into a quietly adamant exasperation, leading to their final moments where Vik’s desire to make it last and plea for a new future bubbles up. Throughout, Ginn presents the character with true poise and keen sense of intent. Channeling an adorable look and general demeanor that brought to mind Shraddha Kapoor for this critic, Shah deftly portrays achingly heartfelt longing paired with steadfast resolve through playing Meera, a woman of confidence and high amounts of life success who comes back through Los Angeles on her way to London and agrees to link up with her former love for the few hours she has. Hearing his thoughts from the start that immediately involve deeper feelings that “just catching up”, Meera still maintains a calm exterior and suggests other routes for the time to flow in, which Vik chooses to go along with. As the memories come about, it still seems evident that Meera’s past is being treated as exactly that, while she knows Vik is slowly attempting to reinvent not just a previous date, but the current feelings he still harbors for her.
Even as Meera gets briefly lost in the reverie and the magic of those days being reborn, the choice she ultimately must stay with comes about, painfully and frustratingly so, and Shah’s performance brings this dichotomy to life with such beautiful ease and believable emotional potency, made even more powerful by the subtle manner it’s enacted with. In total, “The Layover” speaks to the romantic, and broken heart, in us all as we can assuredly relate to the themes and circumstances being explored. While it is the most beautiful thing to have found someone so special that we cannot remotely picture it will ever actually end or not be “the one”, the reality becomes that some flames just aren’t meant to linger.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
