Title: Bittu
MPAA Rating: Not Yet Rated
Director: Karishma Dev Dube
Starring: Rani Kumari, Renu Kumari,
Runtime: 17 mins

What It Is: A Student Academy Award-Winning Film, Bittu is based on a true story about a close friendship between two young girls that is eclipsed by a tragic school poisoning.

What We Think: Unlike you reading this review now, I went into this short not knowing anything about what it was about, which shaped my perspective on the film itself quite a bit. With that being said, I was absolutely sure that I was watching a documentary because the film’s world and characters are that realistic. And yes, I know that it’s somewhat of a common criticism to give, but this short absolutely deserves that praise. Again, having not known about the true story behind the film made me concentrate more on its characters than the horrific event that takes place near the film’s end. I was completely blindsided in those final minutes because up until that point I was truly captivated. There’s a good story at the heart of this short and it doesn’t necessarily revolve around the more well-known part, there’s definitely a tale of friendship and tragedy here that chilled me to the bone.

The direction is brilliant. The performances are (like I mentioned before) incredibly realistic and real. The film is also quite atmospheric and the cinematography is another fantastic aspect of the short, absolutely captivating. What’s also unique about this short is that its beautiful imagery has a drastic contrast with the dark and horrific events that eventually play out. One-shot in particular that really stood out to me was of our main protagonist (a young girl played by Rani Kumari I believe) looking up to the sky and seeing a bird glide around. Without context, it may not sound that interesting, but believe me, if you watch this short it’ll mean a whole lot more. Poetic, symbolic imagery.

Our Grade: A: This is the first short I’ve seen this year and I must say- what a way to start the year off. I’m looking very forward to seeing what Karishma Dev Dube is up to in the future because this short is a smashing start to (I hope) a promising career.