Winner of Best Film Award at the London Film Festival, Michael Winterbottom's "Trishna" (2011) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; video interview with actor Riz Ahmed; video interview with director Michael Winterbottom; and a gallery of deleted scenes. In English and Hindi, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
How can I trust you?
While traveling through the countryside with a group of friends, Jay (Riz Ahmed, Shifty, Four Lions), the son of a wealthy Indian businessman, meets Trishna (Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire, Black Gold), a poor girl. He asks if she would be interested in working in an expensive hotel. Trishna immediately accepts the offer as the job would allow her to help her family pay off various debts.
A few days later Trishna arrives at the hotel, where she is immediately put to work. Jay quietly observes her from afar. As time goes by, the two warm up to each other, and when his father visits the hotel, Jay quickly introduces Trishna to him.
One day, Trushna asks for a permission to attend the party of a good friend. At the end of the night, she decides to go back to the hotel, but is followed and then harassed by two strangers. Jay suddenly appears riding a bike, picks her up and the two disappear into the night. Later on, they make love for the first time. On the following morning, feeling guilty and confused, Trishna leaves the hotel and heads back to her village.
In the weeks and months that follow, Trishna reevaluates her decision - because of the dramatic effect it has had on her family. They still need money to pay off the Jeep Trishna's father has destroyed in a serious accident. Trishna also discovers that she is pregnant, and without a husband this means that she must have an abortion, which also costs a lot of money. Much to Trishna's surprise, one day Jay arrives in the village looking for her.
Loosely based on Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, this recent film directed by Michael Winterbottom looks quite beautiful but lacks the chemistry it needs to be the exotic epic it was obviously meant to be. There is just too much static between its two leads, both of which play complex characters faced with difficult dilemmas.
The focus of attention is on Trishna's struggle to choose a direction in her life. On one hand, she feels that it is her responsibility to help her family survive, just as many other girls like her do. On the other hand, she dreams about being free. When she travels with Jay to Mumbai, a busy metropolis where some dreams do come true, she realizes that there is an entirely different world out there to explore. But she remains just as vulnerable as she was in the hotel, where she would work and spend time with Jay. I think that this is one of the key points of the film: In India, a country in transition, many people are simply denied the right to live their lives as they wish.
The middle part of the film is the weakest one. There are various sequences that feel like unusually long yet essentially incomplete commercials for an exotic country where life could be very exciting, busy, and dangerous. Jay's character transformation is also completely unbelievable. To make things worse, his lines are often seriously annoying.
Cinematographer Marcel Zyskind's (9 Songs, Mammoth) outstanding lensing more than makes up for the lack of chemistry. There is a great selection of panoramic shots that could easily inspire one to visit India.
Note: Last year, Trishna won Best Film Award at the London Film Festival.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Michael Winterbottom's Trishna arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye.
Shot with the Red One Camera, Trishna often looks stunning. The overwhelming majority of the daylight footage, for instance, conveys tremendous clarity and outstanding depth (see screencaptures #13 and 14). However, during the nighttime footage contrast could be somewhat uneven (depending on how the camera was positioned when certain sequences where shot). Generally speaking, colors are lush and natural, never looking flat or boosted. There is at least one sequence, however, where light color banding is visible. Large artifacts or other transfer specific anomalies are nowhere to be seen. Finally, there are no serous stability issues to report in this review either. To sum it all up, this is a competent presentation of Trishna which matches the high-standards set by other Artificial Eye releases. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0 (with portions of Hindi). For the record, Artificial Eye have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it. Please note that the English subtitles appear only when Hindi is spoken.
There is a decent amount of movement in the surround channels which enhances the viewing experience quite well. The exotic soundtrack also gets a strong boost and effectively adds to the unique atmosphere. The overall dynamic range of the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, however, is unlikely to impress those of you who enjoy films with aggressive sound designs. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow.
Trailer - original theatrical trailer for Trishna. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).
Deleted Scenes - a collection of deleted scenes. In English and Hindi, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (7 min, 1080p).
Interview - in this video interview, director Michael Winterbottom recalls what inspired him to shoot Trishna and discusses some of the similarities and differences between the film and Thomas Hardy's famous novel. The director also discusses the main characters and the film's unique qualities. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).
Interview - in this video interview, actor Riz Ahmed discusses his work with director Michael Winterbottom, the character he plays, what it was like to shoot in India, etc. In English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080p).
Michael Winterbottom's Trishna is an ambitious and curious but ultimately too uneven take on Thomas Hardy's famous novel. The overwhelming majority of it was improvised, and it clearly shows, as parts of the film feel seriously underdeveloped. Freida Pinto looks beautiful in virtually every scene, but this wasn't the right project for her. The technical presentation matches the high-standards set by previous Artificial Eye releases. RENT IT.
Independent British distributors Artificial Eye will release on Blu-ray director Michael Winterbottom's (24 Hour Party People, 9 Songs)
Trishna (2011), starring Freida Pinto, Riz Ahmed, and Roshan Seth. The preliminary release date set by the distributors is ...
