WATCH THE FILM HERE
First, the Recap:
Elation and despondency. They are concept utterly opposite of each other, and yet can go hand in hand when it comes to the events in our lives that impact the reality we know. For something that gives us that complete sense of euphoria can then turn around and become what seems like a tedious, unrelenting burden we wish nothing more than to dispose of. When this dichotomy strikes, will we have those around us to be alongside and bring us through? A young couple, Siddharth and Jenny (Karan Wahi & Pooja Gor), just got some joyous news–Jenny’s pregnancy and the anticipation of a new addition to their family. Yet, Jenny remains haunted by anxiety and restlessness.
Already having taken time off from his own music teaching job at school to be at Jenny’s side, Siddharth tries his level best to soothe her apprehensions. After the baby arrives, friends and family begin to take over the couple’s actuality, all wanting to see and be a part of their newborn’s first days home, oblivious to the fact that Jenny is struggling with feelings of pressure, neglect, and loss of direction while attempting to handle a constantly crying infant she can’t seem to calm. Not ignorant of her plight, Siddharth steps up even more, giving her as much of a respite from her post partum depression as he is able while lovingly assuring her there’s nothing wrong with her, as there’s more than just one neonate residing in their home.
Next, my Mind:
From the highly prolific production house, First Step Entertainment Capital, that brought us soul-stirring indie short film gems like “Blossom In Love”, “Sameera-The Unusual”, and “Kirdaar: The Story of a Character” comes this newest 15-minute effort from writer/director Swati Semwal and producer Imran Furniturewala that once again flies high on emotionally-charged wings and delivers a narrative aimed to both touch the heart and raise better awareness about the exceptionally important subjects of new motherhood and post partum depression, deftly illustrating visually and verbally through the characters the added significance of how said awareness needs to turn into more prominent actions that can be taken to aid those suffering from it.
It’s the ongoing genius of independent cinema to deliver statements like this while still providing quality entertainment, much less in such abbreviated format, but there is no denying the effectiveness this film has thanks to its well-conceived writing, overall execution, and evident passion to provide a no-nonsense approach to its themes. It’s likewise the type of in-your-face reminder, which sometimes we don’t want to admit is truly necessary, of the real needs in our countries to remain vigilant and proactive by having more understanding and compassion towards all forms of depression and their potentially dangerous impact on the ones suffering through it. It’s an added benefit to see how the husband utilizes music, something the couple has in common and is passionate about, as a tool to help his wife’s healing process.
As portrayed here, unless you’re a woman who’s gone through it or knows someone who has, there needs to be better resources to help educate new parents, especially husbands, about what signs to look for so that, like this film does end up painting a portrait of, there can be a readiness and level of comprehension of the nature of post partum depression to be able to immediately work towards curbing it in constructive and heartfelt ways so that the new mother can realize she’s valued, needed, loved, and not “faulty” in who she is. As I continue to mention, the film does a splendid job at pointing out these elements involved with post partum depression, along with a sobering statistical punch just after the film’s finale that should really puts the exclamation mark on the proceedings. As with the group’s previous efforts, the film is beautifully shot, clean and smooth cinematography throughout, and the music score accompanies the story with emotive grace.
I will continue to mention for as long as I can how much of a fan I have become of actress Pooja Gor, as she has this completely relatable, magnificently charming, yet intensely driven and impassioned drive in the roles she plays, and here she carries this tradition on as Jenny, a young woman so intently happy in marriage and now with the expectation of, well, expecting. Yet, she is continually troubled by dreams of being burdened by things that effectively suffocate and ensnare her. Despite Siddharth’s attempts to ease her unsettled state, things only seem to get worse once the baby has arrived with its common but ceaseless crying that causes many sleepless nights and doing nothing to assuage Jenny’s deteriorating mindset that she is doing things wrong on top of feeling the isolation and agitations towards her baby. But, watching as Siddharth remains diligent to help her through, it leads to a revelatory moment for Jenny that is deeply affecting, and Gor plays this roller-coaster ride of emotions with such poise and totally engaging believability, as you feel everything Jenny’s character endures through her performance.
In a different way that is no less accessible and appealing, Wahi delivers a wonderfully understated yet fully uplifting and heartwarming performance as Siddharth, Jenny’s husband whose love and dedication to his wife and soon-to-be-born/then born child is unquestionable and perfectly apparent. He makes every effort to be the doting spouse to his disquieted wife prior to their child arriving, but then has to face the realities of her post partum depression with an even more focused level of sympathy and concern as he watches it slowly bleed away her joy of motherhood and get replaced with a constant sense of irritability, impatience, and building seclusion. Yet, he stays on course, despite certain amounts of weariness he experiences in returning to work and coming home to chaos, and finds the means to help in every way possible to alleviate her inner pain and make her realize she’s not only prized by him, but is more than a worthy mother, which she then experiences a revealing moment of that we see brings total, unfettered joy to Siddharth’s heart. Wahi presents this character’s path with subdued but powerful presence and composure.
Supporting appearances are present from Anul Soni, Dr. Pinky Arora, Siddharth Tripathi, Jenifer Albert, Askash Garg, Prashanth Goswami, and Shreya Dave. In total, “NewBorn Mother” is, as declared above, another absolute winner from Swati Semwal whose films are consistently astute, entertaining, and insightful while presenting the challenge to us all to think in fresh ways about the topics she chooses to tackle, hopefully to increase the perception and acknowledgement of those in need, which is essential in this contemporary age of so many wanting to only look out for themselves rather than others. For this film, it’s a potent prompting to remember that once that door to the house opens and that newborn enters for the first time, there’s not just one new life about to start, but two.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
