There is an opening shot in this film that’s so powerful that it sets the tone for the complete film. An upside-down shot spins to reveal the Green Girl. We see the protagonist as part of a school program dressed up as “Bharata Maate” in a green saree. Now there’s a lot, Sarthak and his team want to convey with this just one imagery and it’s beautiful. This is something you’ll notice throughout the movie and every single one of them surprises you.
Mangalore is a sensitive location. The curfews, the deaths, and the fight that has existed over the ages are what has been plaguing the Parashurama-shristhi. But also let’s not forget Bappanadu. Anyway, I’m digressing here. We’re told a love story. A forbidden love story. There is beauty in young love, innocence, big dreams, and hope - and we see it all captured in the moments shared between Jeevan and Ameena. There is a dream. A dream of basic freedom, where he wishes his loved one could smoke in the open, he could kiss her, and they could be their selves without having to hide. Jeevan dreams of getting a Green Card in the US with his Green Girl amid the lush Green Coastal City.
The movie is filled with moments and elements like these. The deep orange tinge envelops the bhajana mandira. The way hatred is spewed among young minds, is almost like a sermon that takes over and the title is revealed. Yet another unbelievable shot. Even the dog toy nods. The movie captures it all - the sincere love, the bunch of boys/men getting into religious groups, the guy’s relationship with his dad, the hidden sexual tension between the angry man-ly man who loves to hate the other side, etc.
But then there are moments, almost a dream-like sequence where the lines of religion blur in the name of love. This is hands down, one of the magical moments you witness on screen. A wide shot that I’d frame and put it on the wall. The fire, the love, and everything else. Let’s not forget the posters, the colour, the grade, and the music. Like in Sura, wherein we heard almost a version of Mangalorean Jazz take over as its score. In Green Girl, we hear the saxophone that brings about the tone that takes you to any wedding hall in Mangalore interlaced with the tension, love, fire, resistance, and the blurring of lines. The sermons take over the score almost like an ashareeravaani that becomes part of the narrative. The cuts are smooth and non-existent and along with the sound design, the story seamlessly flows. You see the tension build and when you least expect it hits you and it keeps hitting you - with everything. Some shots make you wonder how did they pull it off and at the end of it all - you’re hit with complete silence. You’re in love with everything that you see. It’s a love story for the ages.
At the end of the screening, there was complete silence and that itself is a big-big win for the team. It’s no small feat to achieve that. Can’t wait to see what’s next from this team. They’ve hit it out of the part with their first two.
Don’t miss this film at screenings and festivals. Wherever you get a chance, watch it.
There is an opening shot in this film that’s so powerful that it sets the tone for the complete film. An upside-down shot spins to reveal the Green Girl. We see the protagonist as part of a school program dressed up as “Bharata Maate” in a green saree. Now there’s a lot, Sarthak and his team want to convey with this just one imagery and it’s beautiful. This is something you’ll notice throughout the movie and every single one of them surprises you.
Mangalore is a sensitive location. The curfews, the deaths, and the fight that has existed over the ages are what has been plaguing the Parashurama-shristhi. But also let’s not forget Bappanadu. Anyway, I’m digressing here. We’re told a love story. A forbidden love story. There is beauty in young love, innocence, big dreams, and hope - and we see it all captured in the moments shared between Jeevan and Ameena. There is a dream. A dream of basic freedom, where he wishes his loved one could smoke in the open, he could kiss her, and they could be their selves without having to hide. Jeevan dreams of getting a Green Card in the US with his Green Girl amid the lush Green Coastal City.
The movie is filled with moments and elements like these. The deep orange tinge envelops the bhajana mandira. The way hatred is spewed among young minds, is almost like a sermon that takes over and the title is revealed. Yet another unbelievable shot. Even the dog toy nods. The movie captures it all - the sincere love, the bunch of boys/men getting into religious groups, the guy’s relationship with his dad, the hidden sexual tension between the angry man-ly man who loves to hate the other side, etc.
But then there are moments, almost a dream-like sequence where the lines of religion blur in the name of love. This is hands down, one of the magical moments you witness on screen. A wide shot that I’d frame and put it on the wall. The fire, the love, and everything else. Let’s not forget the posters, the colour, the grade, and the music. Like in Sura, wherein we heard almost a version of Mangalorean Jazz take over as its score. In Green Girl, we hear the saxophone that brings about the tone that takes you to any wedding hall in Mangalore interlaced with the tension, love, fire, resistance, and the blurring of lines. The sermons take over the score almost like an ashareeravaani that becomes part of the narrative. The cuts are smooth and non-existent and along with the sound design, the story seamlessly flows. You see the tension build and when you least expect it hits you and it keeps hitting you - with everything. Some shots make you wonder how did they pull it off and at the end of it all - you’re hit with complete silence. You’re in love with everything that you see. It’s a love story for the ages.
At the end of the screening, there was complete silence and that itself is a big-big win for the team. It’s no small feat to achieve that. Can’t wait to see what’s next from this team. They’ve hit it out of the part with their first two.
Don’t miss this film at screenings and festivals. Wherever you get a chance, watch it.
