Sheila: A Quiet, Dusty Kind of Movie

Is it worth your time?

Look, if you’re looking for a tight, fast-paced thriller, Sheila is going to drive you absolutely up the wall. You’ll probably hate the lack of momentum. But if you’re the type of person who likes watching movies where the camera just lingers on a character’s face while they stare at a wall, this might actually hit the spot. It’s not for the casual Friday night crowd, that's for sure.

The film exists in this weird, hazy middle ground. It reminds me a bit of the aimless wandering you see in A Little Journey, where the characters seem to be waiting for something to happen that never actually arrives. Maybe that’s the point? Maybe it isn’t.

Odd little things

• There is a scene with a tea set that goes on for way too long. I think I counted three separate shots of a spoon clinking against porcelain.
• Noor Jehan’s performance is strange. Sometimes she looks like she’s in a completely different movie than the rest of the cast.
• The lighting in the second act is surprisingly dark. Like, 'did someone forget to pay the electric bill' dark.
• Mubarak Mechant has this one walk-on role where he doesn't say a word, just leans against a doorframe for five minutes. It’s honestly the most interesting thing in the whole sequence.

The dialogue feels improvised, which is a nice way of saying it’s a little messy. People interrupt each other in ways that feel real, but also in ways that make it impossible to track what they’re actually arguing about. At one point, Pushpa Rani starts talking about the weather and I swear she just gave up halfway through the sentence. The actor next to her just nodded like that was a normal thing to do. 🤷‍♂️

It’s not a masterpiece. It isn’t even a particularly 'good' film by most metrics. But it’s got this strange, stubborn personality that I kind of respect. It doesn’t try to be like Other People's Money or any of those other more polished efforts. It just exists.

I caught myself looking at my phone during the middle bit. The movie gets noticeably better once it stops trying to be dramatic and just lets the characters exist in their own awkward silence. It’s an imperfect watch, definitely. But hey, at least it isn't trying to sell you something it can't deliver. Sometimes that's enough.