Manzil: A Moody, Sometimes Frustrating Look at Love and Trains

Is this for you?

If you like movies that feel like a dusty old book you found in an attic, Manzil might just hit the spot. It’s for the folks who don’t mind a bit of melodrama and enjoy watching people make objectively bad life choices. If you want something fast-paced or logical, stay far away. This one moves at the speed of a rainy night train ride.

The whole thing feels like it’s suffocating under the weight of expectations. Mahim is the kind of guy who probably organizes his socks by color, and then there’s Achala, who clearly wants a different life but doesn't quite know how to grab it. You can see the tension in their faces even when they aren't saying anything. It’s the kind of quiet drama that makes you want to reach into the screen and shake them both.

The Train Metaphor

Listen, we get it. The train is a metaphor for life. We’ve seen it in Crossroads and a dozen other films where people stare out windows at passing trees. But here, the rain-swept night sequences are actually pretty haunting. The way the light hits the compartments makes everything feel a little bit claustrophobic, which is exactly where these characters need to be.

The middle part of the movie gets a bit bogged down by the house fire subplot. It feels like the writers realized they needed something big to happen, so they just lit a match and walked away. The drama after that feels a little bit rushed, like the film is trying to make up for lost time.

• The lighting in the train scenes is genuinely beautiful.
• Achala’s resentment toward the orphan Mrinal is so petty it’s almost fascinating.
• The ending feels like it was tacked on because the director didn't know how else to wrap it up.

It’s a bit messy. Some scenes drag on while others end so abruptly you’re left wondering if the projector skipped a frame. But there is something honest about it. It doesn't try to be a masterpiece; it just tries to be a story about two people who probably should never have been in the same room, let alone married. 🚂

It’s not perfect, and honestly, the moralizing at the end made me roll my eyes, but I’ve been thinking about it all day. Maybe that’s the sign of a good watch, or maybe I just need to stop watching films that make me feel like I’m arguing with a grumpy relative at dinner.