Watch Jonaki

Jonaki is a 2018 Bengali language film directed by Aditya Vikram Sengupta. The film stars Lolita Chatterjee, Sahana Basu, and Ratnabali Bhattacharjee. Jonaki is a visual delight and showcases the artistic brilliance of Sengupta through his cinematography and storytelling. The film tells the story of an elderly woman, Jonaki, who is at the end of her life, and is revisiting her memories as she lies on her deathbed in a hospital. The film is divided into two parts - the first part is set in the present, where Jonaki is lying on her deathbed, and the second part is set in the past, where she relives her memories of the time she spent with her lover, now deceased.

The film is an introspection of Jonaki's life and how she dealt with loneliness throughout her life. We see her as a lonely, elderly woman who has never been married or had children. She lives in an apartment in Kolkata, which is slowly crumbling, and she has to move to a nursing home as there is no one to take care of her. As Jonaki revisits her past, we see that she had a brief, intense love affair with a man who was a communist revolutionary, which ended in tragedy.

Sengupta's direction and cinematography are responsible for the captivating beauty of the film. The film's muted color palette and the use of natural light give a dream-like quality to the visuals that perfectly matches Jonaki's state of mind as she revisits her memories. Sengupta's images are contemplative and haunting, reflecting Jonaki's feelings of loneliness and longing.

Lolita Chatterjee gives a stunning performance as Jonaki. Despite being a relatively unknown actress, Chatterjee manages to convey the complicated emotions of Jonaki with ease. She portrays the loneliness, yearning for human connection, and emotional turmoil of Jonaki with a subtlety and grace that is rare. Sahana Basu also delivers a strong performance as Jonaki's younger counterpart, Jaya.

The film's narrative is slow-paced, and it takes a while for the story to unfold. The film's structure, with its flashbacks and fragmented narrative, can also be disorienting at first. However, once the viewer adjusts to the visual language of the film, they will be swept away by the beauty and depth of the storytelling.

The film also has a hauntingly beautiful score by Alexei Shliapin. The music subtly underscores the emotions of the film, helping to convey Jonaki's longing, heartache, and fear.

Overall, Jonaki is a visually stunning film that is a must-watch for any fan of art-house cinema. Sengupta's direction and cinematography capture the beauty and pain of Jonaki's life, while Chatterjee's performance is a revelation. The film is an introspection of memories, loneliness, and the human need for connection that leaves a lingering impact on the viewer.