SANTOSH

(director/writer: Sandhya Suri; cinematographer: Lennert Hillege; editor: Maxime Pozzi-Garcia; music: Luisa Gerstein; cast: Shahanna Goswam (Santosh Saini), Sunita Rajwar (Geeta Sharma); Runtime: 120; MPAA Rating: R; producers: Alan McAlex, James Bowsher, Balthazar de Ganay, Mike Goodridge; Metrograph Pictures/Suitable Pictures; 2024-UK/India/Germany/France-in Hindi with English subtitles)

“Gripping feminist police procedural set in in the rural badlands of Northern India.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

In her fictional debut, Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri (“The Field”/”Around India With A Movie Camera”) directs and writes this gripping feminist police procedural set in the rural badlands of Northern India.

The constable husband of Santosh (Shahanna Goswam) is killed during a riot when a young Muslim pelts him with a rock. To survive financially, the young woman gets a police job in the Northern Indian province, as there’s an initiative to bring in more women to the police force and she gets the job her husband had. There’s one other woman in the unit, the older Sharma (Sunita Rajwar), an experienced inspector who has handled many crimes against women before. They are assigned to investigate the rape and murder of an ‘untouchable’ teen girl, who is in the morgue.

The women make a deep connection when working together and unite behind a women’s front, deflecting any toxicity from the male officers.

They suspected killer is a young Muslim. But they realize there’s a great bias against Muslims in India and act with necessary caution to do what’s right in their investigation.
 
The acting is fine by the two protagonists, the story is complex in its political and social implications, and if you want an unfiltered view into modern India’s thinking this well-crafted pic provides that.

This film will be the UK rep for the Best International Film for the Oscars.

It played at the London Film Festival.

REVIEWED ON 11/26/2024  GRADE: B
dennisschwartzreviews.com