Belle Moi, Beautiful Me!

AN ENTHRALLING SHORT FILM WITH PROFOUND INSIGHTS INTO CHILDHOOD EMOTIONS

Produced, written and directed by Nupur Sandhu, whose raison d’être is spreading happiness through her many heartfelt endeavours, the short film “Belle moi- Beautiful me” opens an episode into the life of a childhood protagonist struggling to achieve the acceptance he has always craved for. With vivid emotional depictions and Nupur Sandhu’s knowing perspective on childhood psychology, owing to her Post graduate Diploma in Child Guidance and Counselling and work as a Serenity Surrender therapist, the film aims to bring fore the fact that true acceptance from others can only be achieved if we embrace and love ourselves first.
With its credential of being the first animated film from J&K to be selected for screening at Plein La Bobine Film Festival at La Bourboule, France on 27th and 31st May, 2018, this film in the category of 10+ children films was screened twice there on popular demand. It has also been screened at 7th Bangalore Shorts Film Festival on 17th June 2018.
Delving into issues of childhood bullying, body shaming and peer non-acceptance, the film showcases how all the emotions that we experience emanate from two significant emotions- Love and Fear. The animated film poster also portrays these motley of emotions, with the protagonist moving from the sombre grey emotions of Sadness, Frustration, Anger and Shame to the vibrant and cheerful emotions of Love, Serenity, Gratitude and Acceptance.
The narrative delves into the psychological concepts of Glass delusion, which was prevalent in 15th to 17th century Europe, where people thought themselves to be made of glass and thus, fragile and liable to shatter. They wrapped themselves in blankets and pillows to protect themselves from perceived shattering. Analogous to this, in cement delusion, people portrayed themselves as outwardly strong to hide their fragilities within.
Fast-forward to contemporary times, the narrative shows that though such extreme cases of glass and cement delusions are not found in the literature today; but deep within, we all deal with such emotional turmoils and protect ourselves from hurt by portraying a tough mantle outside. In other words, it brings forward the fact that glass delusion has a powerful contemporary resonance in our society. Here, we meet a protagonist who is mocked by his peers, and he craves for their acceptance. Then he meets a Serenity Surrender therapist who guides him through this rough patch and helps him understand that we can only be seen as a “Complete being” when we embrace the binary of strength and weakness.
With a strong and informative narrative, excellent direction, soothing lyrical narration by Shwetima Jamwal, and impeccable animation by Prashant Singh (Leeward Graphics), this film packs a powerful punch. The cast is spot on- having a melange of characters who have acted wonderfully; and with the deft editing and well thought-out story, each frame is a sight to behold. The thought behind the film comes out very well in the verses of the song composed by Nupur Sandhu, where the protagonist calls himself a unique painting, also wanting to be the painter of his own destiny and his own mentor.
However, in the film, a little more information about Serenity Surrender or a somewhat more detailed interaction of the Serenity Surrender therapist with the protagonist would’ve shed more light on this holistic healing modality which is gaining popularity worldwide, particularly for people who don’t know much about it. Also, less use of narration and more usage of actual dialogues spoken by the cast themselves could’ve been attempted. However, these are minor glitches and totally understandable given the constraints of coming out with a film of under 6 minutes, that too delving into such an expansive psychological subject matter. In a way, this comes out as more dazzling too, as we get to hear the lyrical narration in RJ Shwetima’s mellifluous voice, not to forget the delightfully composed song “I am beautiful me”.
Garnering rave reviews and going places, this short film is a visual delight, thoroughly entertaining, very informative and is also being considered for being adopted into school curricula. Kudos to the team for bringing out such a delightful film, which is well-conceptualised and engaging, and also gives the audience front-row seats to the themes of childhood bullying and body-shaming. As they say in French, this short film is trés bon and the whole creative team’s tour de force.


Updated On 6/24/2018 10:47:08 AM