Soaring and warring kites play out as metaphors for the multiple stories weaved in PATANG: The Kite.
A successful Delhi businessman brings his daughter on a surprise trip to his hometown of Ahmedabad, home to India’s largest kite festival. There he tries to push his fractured family into progress, by wanting them to sell the house and move them into a condo in the city. The idea is met with much resistance of the family members still attached to both the house and the old city.
Perhaps this is where a lack of cultural awareness is at play. While I liked how the story unfolded, I found the narrative at times far too complex to follow. A number of questions go unanswered and several character actions seem unlikely. Its documentary style of filmmaking, while an interesting choice, falls somewhat short of its intended goal. (See: The Cave of the Yellow Dog for a good example of this style of filmmaking.) And while the cinematography is quite breathtakingly beautiful, the subtle visual cues are too quiet causing a stop and go flow in the plot.
Still, it’s quite an interesting viewing experience for those who want to take a break from blockbuster schlock and stretch their intellectual muscle.
Patang: The Kite opens in Los Angeles on July 20, exclusively at Laemmle’s Music Box in. Beverly Hills
