Educational Media Reviews Online

For twenty years, aspiring poet Sarthak Roy Chowdhury struggled with his studies, battled writer’s block, married and started a family before finally gaining some notoriety with his writing. Sandeep Ray’s film checks in with Sarthak once a decade, cataloging his development from a self-indulgent student to the serious family man and teacher who lives in the same house he grew up in.

At 72 minutes, The Sound of Old Rooms provides only a cursory glimpse into Sarthak’s life. This brevity shortchanges what could have been a more engaging film. Sarthak comes across as a particularly unsympathetic character. In the section about his early life, Sarthak is a lazy college student. In the middle part of his life, his idealism about being a poet is undercut by his inability to write new poetry and his naïve dealings with a shady publisher who he needs to ply with alcohol and loan money to. He seems to want to be a poet without wanting to work particularly hard at it. A more thorough examination of his life may have provided a more nuanced portrayal. Short shrift is also given to his mother and wife who potentially seem like more interesting focal points.

For a U.S. audience, The Sound of Old Rooms provides some interesting insights into how people live in a different part of the world. Sarthak lives in a rundown home with his parents, even after his marriage and the birth of his son. But such insights could be better found elsewhere.

Awards

• Grand Prize, Taiwan Int. Documentary Film Festival, Taiwan, 2012
• Nomination for Best Documentary, Asian Pacific Screen Awards, Australia, 2012