WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
What we miss when we’ve acclimated to what we’ve now perceived as “the norm”. Being away from where we started is difficult enough yet can be compounded even more when the circumstances dictate not only great physical distance from those beginnings, but an inward separation that we sometimes hide which, when exposed, causes reflection and realities harder to accept or bear. Wonderfully affable “everywoman” Akanksha (Akanksha Cruczynski) finds this out upon taking on new dog sitting clients Harry and India (Simon Hedger and Cassie Kramer), a highly affluent couple who remain utterly clueless when it comes to their cognizance of her culture and the stereotypical notions about it. Also facing a situation with her sister in India who wishes to visit her in the U.S., it becomes a journey of affecting rumination about Akanksha’s longing for the home she now feels she’s never truly known–and the pure abiding love she harbors for it.
Next, my Mind:
The deeply relevant, fully current, and absolutely necessary, compelling arguments about the very nature of what immigrants to this country truly contend with forms the core foundation of this indie short film from writer/director/editor Akanksha Cruczynski and producer Felicia Ferrara, screened as part of my ongoing advance coverage of the 2022 DFW SAFF sponsored by Toyota USA and hosted by Jingo Media Founder/Festival Director Jitin Hingorani and Artistic Director Ambica Dev. Also to enjoy its Texas Premier at said event as well as being the opening night short, the film is one that takes on a multitude of concepts in a very concise yet no less fully explored manner so as to have the greatest sense of relatability for not just a South Asian audience, but rather for any individual who understands and is experiencing the actuality of living in the U.S. while having their family back in the homeland of their birth. It is something that gets taken so much for granted, and is why films like this, this critic feels, are so sorely needed to shed light on the topics addressed here.
The narrative that sees one young immigrant woman’s dilemma as she faces societal ignorance about her own ethnicity and culture paired with the reminders about what she so desperately wishes for and ponders over when it comes to her homeland and having been away for so long, it very much stirs the heart, mind, and soul when we stop and take in the truths of it being conveyed. Soon we are immersed in thematic paths that encompass millennials, citizenship, wealth, foreign influence, class, gender, colonization, diaspora, and what could also be construed as another cornerstone focus here–straight up homesickness. We are also privy to ideas about social media’s hold over people, friendship, loneliness, having needed support, the times we consider returning home rather than just randomly thinking about it in the hustle and bustle of our established life, allowing our bottled up emotions about it all come out, and yet then assessing how we would leave what we know to try and reconcile what we’ve lost out on because of our situation.
Despite the actual dramatic heaviness in the film’s atmosphere many of these subjects elicit in and of themselves, the film is intelligently executed in such a way that we do have more than several opportunities to enjoy a good chuckle and feel-good vibes thanks to the humorous instances intermixed in the film’s first act, especially when our intrepid lead character has to withstand the utter mindlessness of cultural misunderstanding and presumptions thanks to her new dog sitting clients and their hilariously “uppity” demeanors and conventionalized American viewpoints on anything foreign. I felt it is this initial jolt of comical intent that then makes the more serious turn the film takes as it progresses to its very purposeful, impactful, and thought-provoking finale that much more dynamically persuasive in the messages it presents while also delivering some concluding thoughts about Akanksha’s story that overtly cement all the aforementioned postulations and beliefs the film has provided.
Cruczynski steps out from behind the (relative, I suppose!) safety of the writing/directing/editing chair she takes on for the film and moves in front of the camera with equally adept, engaging, entertaining, and heartfelt believability for her role as self-named lead character Akanksha, a woman long since “removed” from her birth country of India via now residing in the U.S. for continuing studies and career opportunities. Yet, now having been both annoyingly (though playfully depicted here) then painfully reminded of just how much her family back in India, and her country itself, has been absent from her pursuits and life, it hits hard as she expounds upon a myriad of convictions and opinions about it all to both a trusted friend and a furry one as well (watch the film!). The ultimate truths of what Akanksha realizes will perhaps change everything, or nothing, and how Cruczynski embodies the wide-ranging emotive scale the character encounters is emphasized with both heartbreaking yet also inspiring courage and credibility via her performance.
Supporting turns arrive first through Hedger and Kramer as the wealthy and, as mentioned earlier, quite jovially portrayed “uppity” couple India (that in itself is so apropos here!) and Harry whose precious pup Timothee they are reluctantly leaving behind while they travel to, of all places, India! Their immediate and totally obvious lack of decorum around Akanksha and what they very much in vain attempt to perceive about her ethnicity, culture, and proclivities is jovially portrayed and still angering to some extent when it showcases what so often we as Americans tend to fall into when it comes to immigrants and/or foreigners. What of course makes this come through effectively are how Hedger and Kramer so deliciously and intentionally exaggerate the character’s attitudes and the performances are therefore simply excellent and effective.
Sophia Rafiqi appears as Akanksha’s best friend Sophia, the voice of reason and comfort for her who tries her level best to bring wisdom, fun, ease, and more importantly, a MUCH needed listening ear to Akanksha’s suddenly upended thoughts about how much she misses India and her family. It’s a portrayal of exactly the kind of friend we ALL can use in times of personal strife, and Rafiqi certainly plays it just perfectly. Additional appearances are made by Aishwarya Chawla and, finally, we cannot forget Bisou who plays Timothee and is actually quite a stitch to watch by not “saying” anything at all! Just got to LOVE dogs! So, in total, “Close Ties To Home Country” is an essential short film to witness in that not only are its themes and messages, both surface and underlying, pertinent to those who immigrated here, but also remain applicable to anyone who knows what it is to be away from that which you’ve been brought up in, has taken you away from those you love, and has not yet provided the means to reunite–because let’s face it, folks, HOME truly IS where the heart is–and should be.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
