Educational Media Reviews Online

Can exposure to classic, foreign film lead to a cultural awakening? This is the question that Amartya Bhattacharyya seems to ask in the beginning of his 2021 film, Adieu Godard. Bhattacharyya, who wrote, directed, filmed and edited Adieu Godard and has won several awards for the film in India, also boasts a short but well-received resume of Indian films over the past decade. Shot mainly in eye-popping black and white with some interspersed scenes of color, the film ends up a post-modern mishmash of film styles.

Adieu Godard begins with a unique premise: an Indian man from a small village, Ananda, regularly visits a nearby video rental store to rent pornography. One day he accidentally rents a Jean-Luc Godard film (Breathless) and is enthralled. A few forgettable side plots later, he, along with a few others from the village decide to host a Godard film festival. However, this plot soon devolves into a bizarre commentary on the nature of truth vs. fiction and storytelling vs. reality. The second half of the film is almost entirely devoted to the violent chaos that ensues post-festival and a strange alternative reality of two film students discussing the aforementioned plot. The latter being shot in color and containing a strange reveal/plot point that almost completely wipes out the film’s themes from the viewer’s palette. Has there been an existential awakening? What truly is trying to be said in Adieu Godard?

Adieu Godard’s beautiful cinematography and often interesting shots are perhaps wasted on stilted dialogue and a perplexing post-modern journey into the meaning of film. The film’s characters are portrayed with comedic relief that could be considered insulting to small town residents. There is also physical comedy at the mercy of a mute villager - a questionable decision. Beautifully made, but perhaps a misguided attempt to tackle too many questions, the film is more likely to confuse than inspire.

Awards:
Cardiff International Film Festival, Best Feature Film; Sipontum Arthouse International Film Festival: Best Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay; 27th Kolkata International Film Festival: Best Film award, Indian Languages Competition

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