Visually stunning, making use of all phographic techniques, psychedelic, disjointed, lost in its exuberance of colour composition and collage, the film loses it's centre and slips into a numbing fantasy.
14 Reviews
A cinematographer's delight
srd-306592 December 2019
Too bad. I looked forward to watching it but could only get half way
jonfmac12 January 2022
I don't know where the fascist aspect of government was coming from in the film's description but I suspect they were trying to be politically correct. This was about a primitive society being run along the lines of primitive beliefs. This film may be contemporary, but the society and the politics is 2000 years old in the film. The only social justice aspect of this might have originated in religion.
The film did not rise to my expectations. Not having read the original poem this movie is based on, means I have nothing to compare it to. That said, I can comfortably state that the production was off. The editing was terrible. Colour management was non-existent. Shots were taken and combined without artistic merit. The photography was terrible. In short, I can go on but won't. I've seen better grade school shoots that presented greater talent and mustered higher artistic merit.
I have decided not to comment on the story as I could only get half way through the movie. Suffice it to say, there are three story lines. Nothing happened in any of them except to show a mentally deranged hopeful play producer in one and a bored prince in another. The third up to that point had no story but might have held some historical significance had there been any context applied to those scenes. As there was no attempt made to manage the expectations of the audience, I will never know.
I actually really like psychedelic movies and programs. When done properly, they raise the production values and artistic merit of the project substantially. This film had none of that. Cuts were tossed into the air and edited together based on how they landed on the floor.
Everything about this film is a complete misrepresentation of what it really is and about. I don't appreciate poor editing skills as being represented as a psychedelic art work. Frankly, that's contemptible. Contrasting timelines is not an unusual method of stylizing elements to a story. There was zero story logic for doing it here.
This was a sadly unprofessional attempt at movie making. No modestly qualified experts were involved in production, only amateurs.
The film did not rise to my expectations. Not having read the original poem this movie is based on, means I have nothing to compare it to. That said, I can comfortably state that the production was off. The editing was terrible. Colour management was non-existent. Shots were taken and combined without artistic merit. The photography was terrible. In short, I can go on but won't. I've seen better grade school shoots that presented greater talent and mustered higher artistic merit.
I have decided not to comment on the story as I could only get half way through the movie. Suffice it to say, there are three story lines. Nothing happened in any of them except to show a mentally deranged hopeful play producer in one and a bored prince in another. The third up to that point had no story but might have held some historical significance had there been any context applied to those scenes. As there was no attempt made to manage the expectations of the audience, I will never know.
I actually really like psychedelic movies and programs. When done properly, they raise the production values and artistic merit of the project substantially. This film had none of that. Cuts were tossed into the air and edited together based on how they landed on the floor.
Everything about this film is a complete misrepresentation of what it really is and about. I don't appreciate poor editing skills as being represented as a psychedelic art work. Frankly, that's contemptible. Contrasting timelines is not an unusual method of stylizing elements to a story. There was zero story logic for doing it here.
This was a sadly unprofessional attempt at movie making. No modestly qualified experts were involved in production, only amateurs.
Discordant fantasy drama
mahadyuti-adhikary23 August 2013
Tasher Desh is a psychotomimetic vision of Qaushiq Mukherjee's unapologetic experiment that goes beyond the professed acid trip. A madcap versifier, with almost fanatical obsession for the outré, becomes a master conjurer conjuring up compelling and bizarre images in a non-linear, dual narrative that slowly seduces the audience into a hypnotic psychedelic ride. The inertia of the chimeric first half explodes into a volatile kinetic force as we are introduced to the restless motley of Card soldiers in the fascist dystopo-neverland. The very Q-esque split-screen shots, hyperstylised edginess of hand-held camera movements trigger the hallucinatory surreal eeriness of a grungy meta-reality. But everything goes downhill from then on. Mr. Infant Terrible suddenly turns into a glorified music video director haplessly resorting to deliberate abstractness as an escape route for his fizzling out self-indulgences. The sensory and visual striptease becomes clumsier in the amorous exchanges which reduces the prophesied sexual liberation into a libidinous exercise with an unsuspecting abrupt climax. Zany, techno-funk pagan Rabindrasangeet and Manu Dacosse's flamboyantly sumptuous cinematography are the two biggest gains from this discordant and floundering amorphous fantasy drama. And, a special mention for the subtitling which is impeccably apt and incredibly germane.
Mistress watch
mrdonleone19 June 2022
What is this movie this means nothing I like dog star man and crazy moves like this but really this is not a good movie is not logic in being crazy and because of this nothing about movies interesting I would rather spend a few months reading the original form then to read and match this crazy nonsense again.
A labyrinth towards freedom
nilanjan2326 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I had watched 'Bish' and hated it. Then I watched 'Gandu' and loved it. But both the films had something in common that the director does not want to follow rules. Thus I had high expectations when I went to watch 'Tasher Desh'. The first half of the movie was spectacular, almost surreal. When I came out during the interval, I was in a maze. I had no idea what to expect from the rest of the film. But then the 2nd half was a dampener, a lot of spoon feeding and repetitive sequences. As a whole though I feel it's a path-breaking film, a trend setter. And this is in respect to the Indian Audience.
I had the option of writing the review the way the film is presented, surreal and abstract. But then I decided against it. Following are my observations:
1. The Storyteller and the Widow are the prime protagonist of the film. The widow kisses the storyteller in the end and thus breaks an age old tradition that of suppression. The images of various Gods and Goddesses in the back drop also signify the shackles that she is bounded in. 2. Sex has been used as an agent of luxury initially and later freedom. Ironically I noticed sex on the screen in the first half but second half I did not. It truly represents Human revolution in it's primal form. Awesome. 3. I missed those 2 boys in the 2nd half. I think the movie could have been 20 minutes shorter. But then it's a self-indulgence piece of art. 4. Music is mesmerizing. Only after I had watched the movie I started reading some articles on it and realized that there are 19 songs in the film! And I thought there are 6 - 7 songs. I had to download the album. 5. The 2nd half could have been as abstract as the first. 6. Not enough time and scope to define the characters in the Country of Cards. Thus there is no point in stretching it so much. The film lost value there. 7. Amazing work with the sub-titles. This is how it should be done. It's a lesson for other film makers who want to release their films outside of their region. 8. Most importantly I did not feel scared / trapped when the boys were caught or tried. A little violence could have helped intensify it. Although the cards were carrying guns, not one shot was fired. The Prince and his friend were termed invaders while bringing about a crisis in their culture, still they were only asked to be banished and not killed!
It's a film that sketches the director's vision and the actors are mere (and truly) puppets. It could have been an amazing animation film as well. Anyway that discussion is for another day. Coming to Performances, I think Soumyak Kanti De Biswas is a revelation. He truly represents the hero who breaks the barriers of his mind first and undergoes a change within himself then brings about a revolution in the fascist community. Joyraj Bhattacharya was simply mind blowing as the King of the country of the Cards. He was also the story teller, and both were so differently done. I am in awe of this actor. Heyyyy Ricksha . Rest of the cast was very competent. Rii Sen looked hot and was a perfect choice for the role of the widow and the Queen.
At last I would say that the film is good not great though. But I don't mind a sequel where the 2 boys travel to another land and instigate another revolution. The rigid community of the sun broken apiece by the mystic moon. Thus bringing in a change in another storyteller's life.
I had the option of writing the review the way the film is presented, surreal and abstract. But then I decided against it. Following are my observations:
1. The Storyteller and the Widow are the prime protagonist of the film. The widow kisses the storyteller in the end and thus breaks an age old tradition that of suppression. The images of various Gods and Goddesses in the back drop also signify the shackles that she is bounded in. 2. Sex has been used as an agent of luxury initially and later freedom. Ironically I noticed sex on the screen in the first half but second half I did not. It truly represents Human revolution in it's primal form. Awesome. 3. I missed those 2 boys in the 2nd half. I think the movie could have been 20 minutes shorter. But then it's a self-indulgence piece of art. 4. Music is mesmerizing. Only after I had watched the movie I started reading some articles on it and realized that there are 19 songs in the film! And I thought there are 6 - 7 songs. I had to download the album. 5. The 2nd half could have been as abstract as the first. 6. Not enough time and scope to define the characters in the Country of Cards. Thus there is no point in stretching it so much. The film lost value there. 7. Amazing work with the sub-titles. This is how it should be done. It's a lesson for other film makers who want to release their films outside of their region. 8. Most importantly I did not feel scared / trapped when the boys were caught or tried. A little violence could have helped intensify it. Although the cards were carrying guns, not one shot was fired. The Prince and his friend were termed invaders while bringing about a crisis in their culture, still they were only asked to be banished and not killed!
It's a film that sketches the director's vision and the actors are mere (and truly) puppets. It could have been an amazing animation film as well. Anyway that discussion is for another day. Coming to Performances, I think Soumyak Kanti De Biswas is a revelation. He truly represents the hero who breaks the barriers of his mind first and undergoes a change within himself then brings about a revolution in the fascist community. Joyraj Bhattacharya was simply mind blowing as the King of the country of the Cards. He was also the story teller, and both were so differently done. I am in awe of this actor. Heyyyy Ricksha . Rest of the cast was very competent. Rii Sen looked hot and was a perfect choice for the role of the widow and the Queen.
At last I would say that the film is good not great though. But I don't mind a sequel where the 2 boys travel to another land and instigate another revolution. The rigid community of the sun broken apiece by the mystic moon. Thus bringing in a change in another storyteller's life.
Q's Portrait of Erotica, Rule Breaking and Self Indulgence
souvikmeetszeus25 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
As the delicious happiness inside me slowly settles down, at having watched a really brilliant movie on the big screen after a long, long time, I wonder whether I can put this film into words. Not because I do not have words but because my words, or anybody else's, for that matter, can fully capture a work of this nature. Q's Tasher Desh (Land of Cards) is a delectably surreal ride through the self-indulgence of a director who does not want rules to create any obstacle in his way of artistic expression. The idea itself borders on pretentiousness, and thus it is no surprise that the film will be cussed at, and that is where 'borders' becomes an important word. On the other side of pretentiousness, lies 'brilliance', and that is where, in my honest opinion, 'Tasher Desh' has its feet firmly set.
The movie starts with an apparently incomprehensible sequence that later gains meaning, and slowly melts into a pastiche of realism and surrealism. The black and white cinematography is excellent as Q creates frames after frames that ooze aesthetic perfection, and this part of the movie narrates the story of an aspiring film maker looking for a reason. The story within the story, that is loosely yet sincerely adapted on the famous work of Rabindranath Tagore, is shot in sharp colors and invokes a sense of deep confusion and surrealism.
The story, in my opinion, was the perfect for Q to adapt. For a person who does not shy away from showing marijuana in its full glory, and is least bothered about stretching the comfort zone of an Indian audience to its maximum capacity, a story about breaking rules and starting a revolution could only result in magic. And it did, the movie did not only remain a set of moving images, it became alive with the director's ideas, creating an experience which is not only gratifying but also frightening at times. Through the protagonist's journey to absolution, Q captures a crisis so palpably desolate, that sometimes, it becomes too uncomfortable to understand. On the other hand, the story moves forward as the prince and his friend escape their cage, their discipline, and spark a revolution which changes the lives of an entire race, as facades drop, selves are revealed and rules are broken. The tightly strung and well-paced film culminates in a sense of liberation and wanton defiance.
The subtitles are a work of art, as dialogs are translated not literally, but contextually, and in the very spirit of the theme again, break all movie making norms. In fact, Q makes sure that aberrations become his prime weapon of mass destruction, or mass hypnotizing, as it applies. Awestruck by his audacity, I do not think any other director has so openly challenged all structures of thought. The movie was stripped bare of all explicit sequences but yet, the erotica that comes through is simply magnificent. Bodily desire as a symbol for freedom is not an unexplored topic, but Q handles it exceptionally well, and subtly too, in too many occasions to mention here. The music elevates the movie further, as lyrical Rabindrasangeet meets vocal sensuality, and titillates the viewers to the perfect degree.
Not that it couldn't have been better, more accessible to logic and a bit more structured, but that would take away a lot from a movie that is essentially a symbol of freedom and refuses to bend to rules. And why should it be? Why should it have been that way and not this? Who decides what way should it be? Probably an artist's true liberation lies in successfully making his audience ask these questions, and Q spectacularly succeeds. In conclusion, I would like to leave you with a few adjectives that I deem fit for this movie; haunting, delectable, jarring, revolutionary and deeply satisfying.
The movie starts with an apparently incomprehensible sequence that later gains meaning, and slowly melts into a pastiche of realism and surrealism. The black and white cinematography is excellent as Q creates frames after frames that ooze aesthetic perfection, and this part of the movie narrates the story of an aspiring film maker looking for a reason. The story within the story, that is loosely yet sincerely adapted on the famous work of Rabindranath Tagore, is shot in sharp colors and invokes a sense of deep confusion and surrealism.
The story, in my opinion, was the perfect for Q to adapt. For a person who does not shy away from showing marijuana in its full glory, and is least bothered about stretching the comfort zone of an Indian audience to its maximum capacity, a story about breaking rules and starting a revolution could only result in magic. And it did, the movie did not only remain a set of moving images, it became alive with the director's ideas, creating an experience which is not only gratifying but also frightening at times. Through the protagonist's journey to absolution, Q captures a crisis so palpably desolate, that sometimes, it becomes too uncomfortable to understand. On the other hand, the story moves forward as the prince and his friend escape their cage, their discipline, and spark a revolution which changes the lives of an entire race, as facades drop, selves are revealed and rules are broken. The tightly strung and well-paced film culminates in a sense of liberation and wanton defiance.
The subtitles are a work of art, as dialogs are translated not literally, but contextually, and in the very spirit of the theme again, break all movie making norms. In fact, Q makes sure that aberrations become his prime weapon of mass destruction, or mass hypnotizing, as it applies. Awestruck by his audacity, I do not think any other director has so openly challenged all structures of thought. The movie was stripped bare of all explicit sequences but yet, the erotica that comes through is simply magnificent. Bodily desire as a symbol for freedom is not an unexplored topic, but Q handles it exceptionally well, and subtly too, in too many occasions to mention here. The music elevates the movie further, as lyrical Rabindrasangeet meets vocal sensuality, and titillates the viewers to the perfect degree.
Not that it couldn't have been better, more accessible to logic and a bit more structured, but that would take away a lot from a movie that is essentially a symbol of freedom and refuses to bend to rules. And why should it be? Why should it have been that way and not this? Who decides what way should it be? Probably an artist's true liberation lies in successfully making his audience ask these questions, and Q spectacularly succeeds. In conclusion, I would like to leave you with a few adjectives that I deem fit for this movie; haunting, delectable, jarring, revolutionary and deeply satisfying.
A commendable, spirited adaptation
avik-kumar-si14 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Tasher Desh is Qaushiq Mukherjee's vivid, violent take on Rabindranath Tagore's eponymous play.
Qaushiq (or Q) bases his film on Rabindranath's timeless work and uses the play like a tool to create something very novel, very different. I say tool, but perhaps weapon would be a word closer to reality. The characters are there, but in the form of a story of a storyteller protagonist, who is looking to stage the original play.
Rabindranath's play is powerful material. A take on static/ oppressive/ non-progressive societies and regimes, it can be inspiring, eye-opening and a call to action all at once. In Q's hands, it just explodes. After simmering and snorting for the first half an hour, it comes to life with a bang and explodes with colours, sights, sounds and of course, with Rabindrasangeet.
Cinema as a medium can be used to convey messages in myriad ways. Having once been trained in communication engineering, I can't but draw an analogy. In communications, some property of a carrier signal (say, sinusoidal) – amplitude, frequency etc. is modulated to embed in itself the message in some way. Terrence Malick's films often remind me of this. Those are like carrier signals rather than the actual message signals. Q's Tasher Desh is another tremendous example of cinema being used as a carrier signal rather than the actual signal itself. Like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Tasher Desh too tries to give viewers a first-hand experience of what the protagonists are experiencing. As a prince endures a life of boredom and monotony in his high palace, the film gets off to a meandering, super-slow crawl. We get introduced to the two sets of characters and their anguish. The film though, still does not change gears. The prince struggles. Some in the auditorium certainly seem to share his feelings..
And then things move. The dam breaks. The prince and his friend embark on a life-changing journey to a new land. The songs flow. The subtitles go ballistic. The title screen shows up again. Some wonder if it's all over so soon. But the action has just started. And the heady roller-coaster continues till it ends on a high to a clarion call of breaking barriers.
Verdict: A recommended watch, only for the fantastic fantasy treatment to the classic play which is in itself so rare, if not also for the innovative use of subtitles and great music. Rabindranath remains relevant as before, and this film shows the enormous potential that lies in only reinventing his works. My only complaint with Tasher Desh is the occasional jarring Bengali accent, but surely the positives outweigh the negatives easily here.
Qaushiq (or Q) bases his film on Rabindranath's timeless work and uses the play like a tool to create something very novel, very different. I say tool, but perhaps weapon would be a word closer to reality. The characters are there, but in the form of a story of a storyteller protagonist, who is looking to stage the original play.
Rabindranath's play is powerful material. A take on static/ oppressive/ non-progressive societies and regimes, it can be inspiring, eye-opening and a call to action all at once. In Q's hands, it just explodes. After simmering and snorting for the first half an hour, it comes to life with a bang and explodes with colours, sights, sounds and of course, with Rabindrasangeet.
Cinema as a medium can be used to convey messages in myriad ways. Having once been trained in communication engineering, I can't but draw an analogy. In communications, some property of a carrier signal (say, sinusoidal) – amplitude, frequency etc. is modulated to embed in itself the message in some way. Terrence Malick's films often remind me of this. Those are like carrier signals rather than the actual message signals. Q's Tasher Desh is another tremendous example of cinema being used as a carrier signal rather than the actual signal itself. Like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Tasher Desh too tries to give viewers a first-hand experience of what the protagonists are experiencing. As a prince endures a life of boredom and monotony in his high palace, the film gets off to a meandering, super-slow crawl. We get introduced to the two sets of characters and their anguish. The film though, still does not change gears. The prince struggles. Some in the auditorium certainly seem to share his feelings..
And then things move. The dam breaks. The prince and his friend embark on a life-changing journey to a new land. The songs flow. The subtitles go ballistic. The title screen shows up again. Some wonder if it's all over so soon. But the action has just started. And the heady roller-coaster continues till it ends on a high to a clarion call of breaking barriers.
Verdict: A recommended watch, only for the fantastic fantasy treatment to the classic play which is in itself so rare, if not also for the innovative use of subtitles and great music. Rabindranath remains relevant as before, and this film shows the enormous potential that lies in only reinventing his works. My only complaint with Tasher Desh is the occasional jarring Bengali accent, but surely the positives outweigh the negatives easily here.
Psychedelia: Tagore on Acid Trip.
Avishek_Mitra24 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
A maniac writer, played by Joyraj Bhatacharya, is suddenly gripped with a wish to stage Tagore's 'Tasher Desh'. He narrates the story, as he sees it, to a widow, played by Rii. And this story seen through this writer's eyes is what Tasher Desh is. A psychedelic, trippy and exotic take on Tagore's classic. Is the original text followed? Yes and No. Yes, because original songs are used in their proper places, as in the play and even dialogues are almost syllable by syllable in adherence. And No, because some interpretations and/or hints of interpretations are not basically what Tagore might have wanted to convey. But then again Q openly agrees Tagore is not his favorite, rather he came up with this as he has had enough of him. Well
To each one's own.
Apart from the superlative and versatile performances from Joyraj and Rii, Soumyak Kanti Biswas surprises with his impressive portrayal of The Prince. Anubrata is as good as ever, but IMHO was under-utilized over here. Other supporting cast including Tilottama Shome, Imaddudin Shah puts up decent performances. The exotic locales of Sri Lanka serve aptly as the fantastical land of cards, and the accented Bengali spoken by non-bong cast members help in Q's cause of being quirky, sometimes just for the sake it one might wonder.
The theme of Liberation looms large from the very first. Social control, Fascism leads to a Revolution and finally Liberation. All sorts of Liberation: Social, Sexual, Cultural. The back story merges with the main story, blurring the line between fantasy and reality. Use of color and monochrome and seamless editing gives the film an edgy feel.
Confused? Well You might not be satisfied at the end of it. He didn't intend to make you feel so. Go for the experience that's awaiting you. An experience you won't regret having. And go for 'Gopono Kotha Ti' in Susheela Raman's voice. Its heavenly!
7.5-8/10.
Apart from the superlative and versatile performances from Joyraj and Rii, Soumyak Kanti Biswas surprises with his impressive portrayal of The Prince. Anubrata is as good as ever, but IMHO was under-utilized over here. Other supporting cast including Tilottama Shome, Imaddudin Shah puts up decent performances. The exotic locales of Sri Lanka serve aptly as the fantastical land of cards, and the accented Bengali spoken by non-bong cast members help in Q's cause of being quirky, sometimes just for the sake it one might wonder.
The theme of Liberation looms large from the very first. Social control, Fascism leads to a Revolution and finally Liberation. All sorts of Liberation: Social, Sexual, Cultural. The back story merges with the main story, blurring the line between fantasy and reality. Use of color and monochrome and seamless editing gives the film an edgy feel.
Confused? Well You might not be satisfied at the end of it. He didn't intend to make you feel so. Go for the experience that's awaiting you. An experience you won't regret having. And go for 'Gopono Kotha Ti' in Susheela Raman's voice. Its heavenly!
7.5-8/10.
Worth A Watch
yashmishra9114 January 2014
Directed by Qaushiq Mukherjee (of the 2010 cult film Gandu the loser fame) this film, stands true to its word, being a quirky take on the play of the same name written by Rabindranath Tagore. The film's narrative has great shades of surrealism, fantasy and neo noir which as an impressive graph of development where two stories go hand in hand and they intersect at the pre climax , plus after few scenes with hardly any dialogues, the film takes a sweet boost and the rest is assured, drawing inspirations from Satyajit Ray's film "Goopy Gyen Bagha Byen" and the director's own previous work. The best part of the film lies in the cinematography by Manu Dacosee and the director himself, where every frame is a pure work of art and noir, the music score by Neel and Miti Adhikari and Q which takes on the Rabindra Sangeet with a tinge of some loud Western music making every song worth listening, then even editing by Nikon is great that well compliments the narrative, the performances by Tilotama Shome, Joyraj, Anubrata, Imaad Shah and Rii Sen. The film is a must watch for cinema lovers. My rating would be: 4/5.
Q on roll.
annapro-gupta78621 November 2013
The film has been described as a "trippy adaptation" of the Rabindrath Tagore's play. Music and poetry is main soul of the film ,thats reason film move on without boring. You'd either love 'Tasher Desh' or hate it, but you can definitely not ignore it.
The narration has three layers bursting with lessons of life, regarding rules, hopes, desires and fate.It's a story about society and culture, of brotherhood and winds of destiny, of acceptance and revolution. It's a journey of twosomes and foursomes, of abstract and reality.
For those who do not understand Bengali, one needs patience for the film to grow on you to decipher what's happening on screen. And by the time the final song rolls out with patriotic gusto with lyrics that screech: "Break every barrier, let your mind break free/ Do you have the courage? It's a long way to freedom, be free, be pure", and you will probably understand and appreciate 'Tasher Desh'. Or else, as one of the characters say at the very beginning of the film, "You will never understand. Nothing is real. In reality, everything is a fantasy, fiction." Accept the film the way it is. Director Q's treatment of the film is very non-figurative, dramatic and musical like in a music video. It is a grand tour of illusion.
The narration has three layers bursting with lessons of life, regarding rules, hopes, desires and fate.It's a story about society and culture, of brotherhood and winds of destiny, of acceptance and revolution. It's a journey of twosomes and foursomes, of abstract and reality.
For those who do not understand Bengali, one needs patience for the film to grow on you to decipher what's happening on screen. And by the time the final song rolls out with patriotic gusto with lyrics that screech: "Break every barrier, let your mind break free/ Do you have the courage? It's a long way to freedom, be free, be pure", and you will probably understand and appreciate 'Tasher Desh'. Or else, as one of the characters say at the very beginning of the film, "You will never understand. Nothing is real. In reality, everything is a fantasy, fiction." Accept the film the way it is. Director Q's treatment of the film is very non-figurative, dramatic and musical like in a music video. It is a grand tour of illusion.
Tagore on acid
momtazbh22 July 2014
It took me a week and a half to recover from the experience of watching Tasher Desh, a futuristic adaptation of a classic play by Bengali poet and writer Rabindranath Tagore. To say it's a well-known story is an understatement; pretty much every Bengali knows of it; but I'm guessing no one has the kind of imagination that could possibly have interpreted it in the way that Q has.
The entire film is a visual feast for all your senses; most of which are not pleasurable. Unexpected, unsettling and disturbing; the vivid imagery, bold graphics and loud dialogue made me squirm in my seat.
The story flits between three worlds and narratives, the urban metropolis of Calcutta, a derelict and deserted castle inhabited by a young prince bored of living a secluded and sheltered life and Tasher Desh itself, The Land of Cards ruled by a hostile military regime.
As their worlds collide, the viewer is taken on a journey that at times feels like a nightmare and at others looks like heaven. Secluded beaches juxtaposed against the harshness of city living with runaway toy train sets and ancient tribal warriors; the imagery feeds your imagination and curiosity until it can no longer consume any more.
There are infinite ways to interpret Q's Tasher Desh; there is an underlying political voice making it the perfect film to be analysed for an academic dissertation but if you detach yourself from intellectual thought and allow yourself to be drawn into Q's sinister and eccentric vision, you'll be rewarded with the prize of witnessing a film that's fresh and fantastical and guaranteed to influence your dreams for at least the night that you view it or if you're like me, for a lot longer.
The entire film is a visual feast for all your senses; most of which are not pleasurable. Unexpected, unsettling and disturbing; the vivid imagery, bold graphics and loud dialogue made me squirm in my seat.
The story flits between three worlds and narratives, the urban metropolis of Calcutta, a derelict and deserted castle inhabited by a young prince bored of living a secluded and sheltered life and Tasher Desh itself, The Land of Cards ruled by a hostile military regime.
As their worlds collide, the viewer is taken on a journey that at times feels like a nightmare and at others looks like heaven. Secluded beaches juxtaposed against the harshness of city living with runaway toy train sets and ancient tribal warriors; the imagery feeds your imagination and curiosity until it can no longer consume any more.
There are infinite ways to interpret Q's Tasher Desh; there is an underlying political voice making it the perfect film to be analysed for an academic dissertation but if you detach yourself from intellectual thought and allow yourself to be drawn into Q's sinister and eccentric vision, you'll be rewarded with the prize of witnessing a film that's fresh and fantastical and guaranteed to influence your dreams for at least the night that you view it or if you're like me, for a lot longer.
Beautiful!
slavabregovic21 November 2020
I had the luck to see this film a few years ago with my partner, and then later we both couldn't remember what it was called. Fortunately a friend reminded me, and I'm so pleased. This has become a new favorite. An exciting storyline full of symbolism (both meaningful and for the sake of unique imagery), a dreamlike atmosphere, excellent cinematography and makeup reminiscent of German expressionism. It's dizzyingly psychedelic, and at times confusing, but not disorganized or pointlessly random. There's a lot of little threads to follow, but all the noticeable themes leave plenty of room for your own perspective.
It's not your typical movie by a long shot, and if you're not into surrealism, the joy I felt for this film might be lost on you. In any case, we've got creative storytelling combined with fine acting and beautifully strange imagery.
If you're in the mood for something decidedly different, but you've already watched Twin Peaks again and crave something "refreshingly trippy"--- definitely take a stroll into The Land of Cards.
It's not an art cinema or a commercial Bengali film its promises of an experience.
Utsab_Bandopadhyay1 September 2013
Qaushiq Mukherjee also known as 'Q' is known for directing films 'Gandu'. He is well known for making psychedelic films, which have overdose of visuals style of editing cuts like a fashion film with parallel narrative taking you a trip of music and visuals in a world governed by the characters which takes you on journey.
'Tasher Desh' is a modern take on revolution breaking rules and coming out of the shackles of the society. 'Tasher Desh' in English means 'Country of cards' reminds you Satyajit Rays 'Chess Players' and movies like Dreams by Akira Kurosawa and Takshi Kitnao's way of story telling and narrative structure.
The songs of Rabindranath Tagore with new age music bring life to stretched conversations between the writer and the widower and the relationships between the royal prince and the princess and the queen.
The writer's story is in black and white whereas he characters are in color. Mixed with claustrophobia and open spaces of beaches in the land of cards.
Its Rabindranath Tagore's play retold.
'Tasher Desh' is a modern take on revolution breaking rules and coming out of the shackles of the society. 'Tasher Desh' in English means 'Country of cards' reminds you Satyajit Rays 'Chess Players' and movies like Dreams by Akira Kurosawa and Takshi Kitnao's way of story telling and narrative structure.
The songs of Rabindranath Tagore with new age music bring life to stretched conversations between the writer and the widower and the relationships between the royal prince and the princess and the queen.
The writer's story is in black and white whereas he characters are in color. Mixed with claustrophobia and open spaces of beaches in the land of cards.
Its Rabindranath Tagore's play retold.
A surreal masterpiece
cynthia200625 September 2023
This film is, as you've already known by now, a "trippy adaptation" of Tagore's play. Though I've never read or seen Tagore's play, I'm sure that it retained the original sprit of his work despite such hurling of experiementalism.
The film intertwines a tale and reality together, which is a surreal experience giving off a lingering desire to "know more" about the protagonist.
The adaptation of the play part particularly is not just a remake of the original one but in itself an original creation with several other ideas fused in. The way paints 'the cards' as fascist is comedically stern, trying hard to maintain the weak binding of tyranny.
I'm not dissapointed with the sexual innuendos in the film. Though I don't think it is a vital part, but at the same time it is.
In essenece the film questions "the dogma", "the dogma" which is spoonfed to us, showing us that if we begin to question our beliefs, it leads to nothing therefore it is all futile. The nihilism is beautifully potrayed.
The film intertwines a tale and reality together, which is a surreal experience giving off a lingering desire to "know more" about the protagonist.
The adaptation of the play part particularly is not just a remake of the original one but in itself an original creation with several other ideas fused in. The way paints 'the cards' as fascist is comedically stern, trying hard to maintain the weak binding of tyranny.
I'm not dissapointed with the sexual innuendos in the film. Though I don't think it is a vital part, but at the same time it is.
In essenece the film questions "the dogma", "the dogma" which is spoonfed to us, showing us that if we begin to question our beliefs, it leads to nothing therefore it is all futile. The nihilism is beautifully potrayed.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
