No. 69 (2023) THE LAST FILM SHOW Sept. 26th.

 

Film No. 69  (2023)  September 26th.  4:30 PM  LUNA LEEDERVILLE,  Cine 4, Leederville.

 

"I want to study light." (Samay tells his dad, in his own way, that he wants to make films).

WINNER: (Pan Nalin) Audience Award; Mill Valley Film Festival. NOMINEE: (Pan Nalin) Tribeca Film Festival.

I'm trying to think of a better "tribute to cinema" film than, THE LAST FILM SHOW. I can't. It's a big call I know, but this small Indian masterpiece will take your heart in such an unassuming way, you'll have tears rolling down your face within 100 minutes and know exactly how they got there.  Pan Nalin's semi autobiographical feature relives his journey into how film became his life in a tiny village in central India.

Bhavin Rabari plays the key role of Samay. A ten year old boy who becomes fascinated with the magic of movies. The small isolated village is the setting for which Samay comes of age running tea for his dad (Dipen Raval) at the local railway station. Samay's fascination however is with film, he helps Fazal (Bhavesh Shrimal) the village projectionist and discovers the magic of the moving image, along with his 5 mates, all being as mischievous as they need to be to explore their dreams and take assorted locals along for the ride.

Then just as we all get an education in how the moving image is created using a sewing machine, single cuts of celluloid film reacting through a tumbler of water via a torch, Samay learns of the sacking of friend Fazal. The world of digital movie entertainment has come to the village. The transition from celluloid to digital transforms TLFS unexpectedly. The narrative diverts TLFS into a reusables "mini doco". It's like Nalin's wish that all the celluloid has reusable value. It's a very quirky deviation.

But the heart that beats in THE LAST FILM SHOW is as big as the big, well oiled projector Fazal operates. Samay, his family and friends fill the screen with optimism, exotic simple cuisine, compassion and dream chasing. Ultimately the magic of cinema is all of these things ... this time the story is told by a film maker (Nalin) telling us how it was for him.  11GUMS.