But for me that's not a bad thing. The plot's as simple as it gets — a boy, Apu, gets born into an educated but poor Bengali family in the early 20th century. He grows up, goes to school, bugs his sister, yearns for the treats that the sweet seller sells, makes himself a paper hat for the festival — a fairly ordinary childhood. A couple of more dramatic things do happen, but in general we're just watching a slice of rural village life. Apu is the main character, but I only really know that because this is the first part of the Apu Trilogy. The focus is more often on his long-suffering mother and her sometimes fraught attempts to raise her family without a steady income. Apu's sister, too, is vibrant and complex and far more interesting than him, but presumably his character fleshes out more in the other two parts. There's also the creaky old aunt, both adorable and pitiable, who adds the barest hint of humour to the whole thing.
The film is sometimes pretty amateurish to look at (it was Satyajit Ray's debut and there were very few experienced film makers on the crew), and at times you can even see the camera wobble on its stand, but the more engrossed you become in the scene it sets the less this seems to matter. The direction is virtually flawless, understated and without flair, but every shot conveys precisely the right mood. There's nothing that seems unlikely or coincidental, over-scripted to enhance the drama — everything is believable and real. So when things actually start happening, you're invested in it and all the more devastated by what unfurls.
I loved this beautiful film and shall sing its praises to anyone who will listen. It moved me and thrilled me a lot more than I thought it would, but I'm not sure if it's the sort of film I would honestly want as high as no. 12. It is very slow moving and very narrow in its appeal. If you're in the mood for that sort of thing, though, you can't really do much better.
Watch the whole thing on Youtube
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