Char Darvesh: A slow, dusty walk through old cinema

Is this worth your time?

Honestly? Only if you really like old, black-and-white stuff that takes its sweet time getting anywhere. If you need a plot that moves like a lightning bolt, stay far away from this one. You’ll probably hate it if you’re looking for modern pacing. But if you’re a fan of the kind of cinema that feels like it’s filmed through a layer of actual history and dust, you might find something here.

There is something about the way these four guys just walk through the frame that felt different. It reminded me a little of the long, contemplative stretches you see in The Only Road, where the environment does as much work as the actors.

The experience

The film isn't trying to be a blockbuster. It doesn't care if you're bored. It just exists. There’s a specific scene where they stop by a well—or maybe it's just a wall—and the silence just hangs there. It lasted for a good long while. I started wondering if the projector had jammed. Nope, just the movie being itself.

Trilok Kapoor is doing a lot of heavy lifting with his eyes here. He doesn't say much, but he looks like he’s carrying the weight of a thousand years on his shoulders. Or maybe he just forgot his lines. Either way, it works.

• The background extras in the marketplace look like they wandered off the set of Industrial Britain and got lost.
• The music choice in the third act is… bold. Let's go with bold.
• Watching the way they hold their robes is almost hypnotic.

It’s not a perfect movie. It’s barely a movie sometimes, feeling more like a collection of moods held together by sheer willpower. But there’s a strange honesty to it. It’s not trying to trick you into feeling big emotions. It just lays it out there and waits for you to catch up. 🎞️

I found myself thinking about Blind Justice while watching the trial sequences. Both films treat their scenes like they’re staging a play in a room that hasn't been swept in a week. It’s gritty, but not in the way people usually mean when they say that. It’s just... used.

Don't expect a satisfying ending either. Things just kind of stop. It’s like the film ran out of tape and decided, 'yeah, that's enough for today.' I respect that level of nonchalance. 🤷‍♂️