Jung Bahadur: A dusty, weird trip through time

Is it worth the watch?

Honestly, only if you’re the type of person who spends their Friday nights digging through digital archives of lost or forgotten stuff. If you need pacing, clear stakes, or anything resembling a modern hook, you’re going to hate this. It’s slow. Like, watching paint dry in a library slow. But for the right crowd, it’s a weirdly hypnotic artifact.

S.B. Nayampalli carries the whole thing on his shoulders. He has this way of looking into the lens that makes you feel like he knows you’re sitting there in your pajamas watching him. It’s unsettling. Sometimes the frame just hangs there on his face for three seconds too long, and I found myself counting his blinks. That’s the kind of movie this is.

The vibe

There’s a specific texture to these older films that you just don't get anymore. Everything feels like it was filmed inside a box, but a really fancy box. It reminds me a bit of the feeling I got watching The Spreading Dawn, where the background seems to be doing more acting than the actual people. You start to ignore the plot and just stare at the wallpaper or the way a curtain hangs.

• The audio track has that lovely, scratchy hum that makes you feel like you’re inside an old radio.
• The lighting in the second act is genuinely baffling. It’s like they decided shadows were optional.
• Nayampalli’s mustache deserves its own credit card. It’s a character on its own.

I caught myself thinking about A Tough Winter halfway through. They share that same commitment to being completely unconcerned with what the audience finds interesting. It’s refreshing, in a way. The movie isn't trying to sell you anything or win an award. It just is.

There’s a scene near the middle where a chair is clearly placed in the wrong spot, and no one mentions it. I spent five whole minutes waiting for someone to trip over it. They never did. It was the most tense part of the whole film for me, which probably says more about my brain than the director's skill. 🙄

Don't expect a polished finish. The edges are rough. The cuts are jarring. Sometimes it feels like the reel was spliced together by someone who was half-asleep. If you’re looking for a smooth experience, go watch something else. But if you want to feel like you’ve traveled back to a time where cinema was just starting to figure out how to stand up on its own two feet, give it a shot.

Just don't come crying to me when you get stuck in the middle. It’s a long road. Pack a snack.