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First, the Recap:
The mystery of the unexplained. Sounds like something out of a science fiction film or study of the strange and bizarre, doesn’t it? However, it seems applicable to about any situation we might find ourselves experiencing where we have NO concept of WHY we’re in the midst of it to begin with. It then becomes the further frustrations and , ideally, revelations of ascertaining the answer–which we might not like once revealed. As an example, let’s take Andy (Deepak Sivakumar), a man waking up one morning, dazed and confused from whatever previous night events left him in such a state. This bigger issue, though? He’s realized he has a black eye–and no idea how he got it. As he tries to piece it all together, it becomes an exercise of fantasy vs. sobering reality.
Next, my Mind:
Screening as part of the 2020 Storytellers Film Showcase presented by Storytellers, this 18-minute short from writer/director Vandana Narang carries itself like “The Hangover” on a much smaller but no less comical, thought-provoking scale, offering the viewer a taste of both biting wit and a genuine life-lesson based moral about the perils of partying just a bit too hard and knowing how we formulate one reality as “the truth” while the actual facts are staring us in the face needing to be acknowledged and dealt with, hopefully for our betterment.
Additionally, there are thematic stabs at foundational underlying principals like the need to finally grow up, taking responsibility for one’s actions, being willing to comes to grip with a problem that needs correcting, and realizing the impact our own chaotic choices can have on those we love or are cared about by. Also, it paints a rather vivid portrait of just how out of control we can become under the influences of these less than wise decisions, the ramifications of which can also be just as utterly damaging to us directly, whether via embarrassment or something worse if we’re not more aware.
I feel that may ultimately be the biggest takeaway from this film, beyond the sheer comedy of it in so many moments, in that it’s quite unnerving to have any circumstance occur that was extreme enough to cause a total blackout to what transpired and that we’re actually more than capable of putting ourselves in harm’s way as such due to proclivities that just aren’t worth that kind of cost. Yet, as depicted here, our tendency is to try and conceptualize any myriad of scenarios that put blame on others rather than ourselves, for certainly that’s more palatable–to US–rather than admitting the actualities and facing the music.
The film does a fantastically entertaining job at depicting the two alternate versions of what the lead character has endured, and does so in a way that tackles it all with humor (a la “The Hangover”) but doesn’t end up shying away from confronting the elephant in the room either. Again, it makes a point of ensuring the viewer understands that for all the laughs and insanity of Andy’s initially enigmatic predicament, there are hard, tangible facts being introduced and are to be taken seriously for the sake of what I felt anyway is the film’s grander message about certain bad habits and the gravity of their repercussions.
It’s what makes the film’s finale weigh in like it does and I also feel this ends up being one of those necessary narratives to broadcast a larger idea to the world, which you see once watching the film. Sivakumar is the total package here in his role as Andy, a happy-go-lucky young man whose penchants for trying to remain more teen-like in his demeanor and behavior has suddenly landed him in the middle of a black-eyed dilemma. As he tries to re-construct what happened the previous evening, the formulation of less-convicting inaccuracy vs. deeply humbling authenticity emerges and it soon becomes apparent he needs to find the correct road before everything falls apart.
It’s a journey both hilarious in one respect and saddening on the other, for who ever WANTS to confess they need help in any way? Throughout, Sivakumar sells us wonderfully on Andy and his plight, where we feel both empathetic and unsympathetic towards him, a credit to the actor’s performance here. Supporting appearances are made by Shweta Agnihotri as Andy’s long-suffering girlfriend Rosie, Gurjit Chima as a woman who plays a key part in Andy’s reflections on what (supposedly) happened to him, and Manoj Singh as the local bartender at the establishment Andy seems to frequent a tad too often. Also, further appearances are made by Sanjay Kumar, Vikram Kolluru, Rizwan Jan, Cesar Vega, Subhankar Banerjee, Vipul Datt, Aditya Singh, Divesh Anand, Saurabh Mahajan, Geeta Anand, Neeta Datt, Nuzhat Jan, and Yousaf Jan.
In total, with its deliberate humor and purposeful social statements working firmly and beneficially hand in hand, “A Night At The Bar” speaks to our weaknesses and needs for help while smartly providing us with a fully entertaining effort that perhaps will serve as an endearing but potent reminder that we should never hope to find ourselves in this kind of quandary. But, if we do, may we have the fortitude to stand up to it truthfully and reach out for the help we need quickly so that our own “black eyes” need not be a repeat affair.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
