'Shadow Bird' Review: India's Oscar entry is a stunning tale of magic and mystery
Making a full-length feature film is hard. You need to prepare a lot and take care of the schedules of your actors to even start the shooting of a feature film. However, making a short film is also an art not everybody possesses. It requires a lot of focus and you need to have an effective story that manages to captivate the minds of viewers. That’s why there is a lot of curiosity when the Academy Awards announce the final set of the short films nominated for the accolade because filmmakers around the world submit their work and battle against each other to win the accolade.
Now that the awards season has started, a wide range of short movies has made their way to various streaming platforms in order to woo the audiences. One movie that’s been considered to be one of the frontrunners to get nominated for the Oscar is none other than ‘Shadow Bird’. Directed by Indian filmmaker Savita Singh, the movie follows the journey of an eight-year-old girl named Nadi. She dreams of meeting a bird named ‘Sonsi’ (Shadow Bird) and would talk to her about life. On the other hand, she would also dream about a mysterious man named Time-Keeper, who had a clock fit inside his heart, and every day upon his arrival, the sleepy village would wake up.
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However, things change one day when the Time-Keeper does not come, forcing Nadi to venture out in search of the Time-Keeper and her Shadow Bird. The movie is as interesting as its synopsis is. If you are a fan of Guillermo Del Toro and the world he creates in his movies, then ‘Shadow Bird’ is a movie that you cannot miss.
The 24-minute short film is a treat to watch and Savita has done a phenomenal job in taking shots that would force you to “wow” in every 10 or 20 seconds. Also, Savita should be appreciated for tackling such a complex story with such ease. The characters in the movie are complex yet intriguing. The moment the movie starts you are hooked on the characters and their lives. The young actress Aarohi Radhakrishnan portrays the character of Nadi effortlessly. The innocence in her eyes makes you fall in love with her character from the very first frame and whenever she arrives on the screen, she mesmerizes you with her performance.
Meanwhile, renowned Indian actor Jameel Khan, once again shows why he is one of the most brilliant actors in the world right now. His performance as the Time-Keeper is brilliant and adds another mystical element to ‘Shadow Bird’. On the other hand, Rasika Duggal’s narration is calming and draws you inside a world that’s beautiful yet so mysterious.
The cinematography is the highlight of the movie. You don’t see such brilliant work every other day and it comes as no surprise that it won the Best Cinematography accolade at the National Film Awards in India. Apart from winning several accolades, the movie has also qualified for the 2022 Academy Awards and will be India’s official entry in the ‘Best Short Film’ category. Let’s hope that movie makes it to the final list of short films because this is not merely a movie, this is filmmaking at its very best.
One of the most enchanting movies of the years that will take you on a magical journey filled with mystery and intriguing characters.
