WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW
First, the Recap:
To be genuine, veritable, bona fide. We maneuver through this life with what most would hope is a goal to be as true as we can, not only to ourselves, but to all others around us. Yet, we also realize in a world so wrought with division and overtly differing opinions about how things should be, including that ever-sought after gem–love. But, what if we’re confronted with that which seems so outside our own notions of what we’re seeking that it shines a light not on other’s perceived shortcomings, but rather our own? Ravi (Karan Soni) and Rita (Geraldine Viswanathan) arrive in each other’s sphere thanks to matchmaking efforts by their respective mothers (Gita Reddy and Zenobia Shroff). When an already awkward first date leads into an unanticipated circumstance beyond their control or ability to be prepared for, what transpires becomes a revealing reality check for them both–and opens possibilities to what they might never have experienced otherwise.
Next, my Mind:
Wholly delightful, enchantingly sweet, engagingly witty, candidly honest, and utterly relatable in every facet of showcasing the journey we call discovering love, this absolute gem of a romcom from writer/director/executive producer Roshan Sethi, writer/executive producer Karan Soni, producers Liz Cardenas and Mel Eslyn, co-producer Maddie Buis, executive producers Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, and Geraldine Viswanathan, plus associate producer Ashley Edouard carries itself with all these necessary elements that comprise a superb genre effort while adding in its South Asian flair with deeply effective skill and execution. It’s this overall ability to make romcom stories in such a manner as to BE so immediately lovable and stimulating while not wandering into the highly dangerous waters of blatant cheesiness that impresses this critic when it’s all delivered as it should be, and this film is a prime example of 86-minutes of time WELL spent and FULLY enjoyed from start to finish.
Deftly utilizing a winning combination of intelligent, magnificently written hilarity and equally affecting instances of dramatic potency, the narrative focusing on two South Asian young adults brought together by the innocent, if not somewhat unwanted, machinations of their mothers that turns from a playfully ungainly first date into a more serious (but NO less jocular) exploration of what it really IS to learn about and fall in love with someone briskly moves us along through their story with perfectly designed intent, offering an entertainingly compelling foray into what it is to just be REAL with one another. Capturing not just this foundational concept, the effort delves into an ever-shifting but totally coherent thematic whirlwind that sees everything from gender roles, the little white lies we tell for appearance’s sake, traditionalism vs. modernism, clashing viewpoints, cultural preferences, questioning the status of the world, exposing personal quirks, facing our mistakes, admitting our faults, being repressed vs. being rebellious (if not a bit reckless), and finding out how just how surprising compatibility can be when we’re willing to open ourselves up to that which we’ve usually dismissed or rejected all given due consideration and contemplation.
Additionally, there is what this critic felt was the grander underlying idea that encourages you to just BE you via the dropping of all preconceived expectations, pretenses, and parental pressures and designs, therefore simply being free to find out who you are through another while also seeing the fears and vulnerabilities we likewise need to let go of in order to discover actual happiness. Taking it all even further, the film addresses many aspects of how we’ve chosen to cope with thoughts of love, marriage, loneliness, insecurities, self worth, past hurts, and why we also need to be more open to see another’s perspectives at times, as it can so often change us for the better. To be any more specific would be to give away the massive amount of absolutely riotous and heartening dramatic moments this narrative offers, so SEEING the film is your best option folks to do true justice to this amazing and endearing tale. Based in the timeframe when COVID-19 first hit hard here in the U.S., it adds a needed dimension to the story that especially makes the third act and finale beautifully impactful magic.
Soni delivers a wonderfully unfeigned, completely realistic performance here through his role as Ravi, a highly traditional young man whose search for a life partner to marry has been mainly dictated by his mother. Finding himself in quite the clumsy, stumbling over himself predicament during a first date gone wrong in so many ways, the situation turns even more embarrassingly delicate when the onset of COVID-19’s first shutdown forces him to stay at his date’s apartment. Even though it appears things couldn’t get any more uneasy for him, it does as more and more truths begin to get exposed about his potential wife-to-be even as his own life likewise gets a spotlight on it. Yet, as time goes on, he begins to see things in a different way, and soon starts to wonder if there’s more between him and Rita than he ever thought possible. It’s such an irresistibly raw but (mostly) lighthearted glimpse into the realities of love, acceptance, and growing, and Soni’s portrayal of Ravi is deeply effective and authentic.
Viswanathan is not at all to be outdone here (and most assuredly isn’t) through a splendidly adorable yet confidently authoritative turn as Rita, a young woman whose initial impression of we get is that she is, like Ravi, is a child of tradition–at least until we arrive at her apartment. More than willing to reveal whom she truly is after Ravi has more than determined she isn’t exactly how HE thought she was either, their forced confinement starts to weigh on her patience and overall tolerance of Ravi’s personality and social awkwardness. But, as with him, time and circumstances start to slowly but surely work to allow her to see him in a different light, while also having to then admit and face up to her own recent decisions that have paralyzed her openness to be loved truly and honestly. When the pair’s situation takes another unexpected turn, it cements in her mind to the fullest extent what could be established between them, and Viswanathan so captivatingly sells us on her character’s transformation with total, grounded believability.
Supporting turns start with Reddy and Shroff as the respective mothers of Ravi and Rita who’ve tried their loving best to see their children find love with each other, even when the road doesn’t look that clear and chances for it to all work appear slim. But, they both illustrate both the cares and concerns (even if mildly overbearing at times as parents can be) that only mothers have for their kids, and the two actresses smartly use every moment on screen or via just voice to communicate this through their characters. Additional turns arrive from Vinny Chhibber and Asif Ali as Ravi’s brothers Vinny and Asif, then primarily voice work only from Mark Duplass, Deborah Baker Jr., Jeffery Self, Aparna Nancherla, and Liz Cardenas. So, in total, “7 Days” is a humorously and dramatically evocative piece of indie filmmaking that paints a marvelous portrait of human interaction and the building of the connections between us as only the heart and willingness to sometimes see things from a different point of view can offer. There’s a really excellent point made in the film that dictates that we CHOOSE to love or not to love. So, may we all, in whatever form and context it comes, MAKE that CHOICE to LOVE, fully, unconditionally, free of malice and prejudice, in order that in doing so, we can SEE each other as the beautiful creations we are and what can BE created by this, because we ALL deserve to find that special someone, don’t we?
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
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