Official Selection - Out of Competition 2017 / Juze / India, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands 2017
If gifted teenager Santosh is to achieve independence, finish school, and escape the trap of slave-like migrant field labor, he has to overcome one main obstacle: the cruel paymaster Juze. In uncompromising terms, the film unmasks the dire poverty hidden only a short distance from the tourist resorts of India’s Goa state.
Juze, the titular character, runs a small migrant farm and its adjacent slum. For the protagonist, gifted adolescent Santosh, Juze is a monster, a trial, a monumental obstacle that stands in the way of a free life. Although set in the late 20th century just a short distance from Goa’s tourist beaches, a slave-like system is still in effect, with migrants working for room and board. Santosh’s intelligence and phlegmatic nature enable him to withstand the abuse he receives from a variety of sources; at the same time he’s working on a precise plan to escape his dismal circumstances – if escape is possible. As in Naik's previous picture Ram, here as well, sexuality is one of the dominant topics. This stylistically concise coproduction, employing a crew of primarily Goan filmmakers, demonstrates the high quality that can be achieved by using local resources, despite the difficulties shooting in the chosen locations. The picture premiered at the Hong Kong IFF.
Vít Kořínek
93 min / Color, DCP
European premiere
Director Miransha Naik
/ Screenplay Miransha Naik
/ Dir. of Photography Abhiraj Rawale
/ Music Pierre Aviat
/ Editor Jacques Comets, Siddhesh Naik, Suzana Pedro
/ Art Director Pronita Pal, Ravi Shah
/ Producer Miransha Naik
/ Production Thin Air, Three Rivers, Kepler Films, Cine-Sud Promotion
/ Cast Rushikesh Naik, Sudesh Bhise, Prashanti Talpankar, Gauri Kamat
/ Sales Films Boutique
Miransha Naik (b. Quepem, Goa, India) is a screenwriter and director. He completed his filmmaking studies at Whistling Woods International in Mumbai, where he specialized in screenwriting. He began working in this field in 2012 at the Mumbai-based production company Gitanjali Creations before striking out on his own with Thin Air Productions. His filmography lists two short movies Shezari (Xexari) and Ram (2014); the latter follows the efforts of an adolescent boy to lose his virginity. In 2014 Ram took awards from several local short film festivals (e.g. Pune and Bangalore) and screened internationally at, among others, the London International Filmmaker’s Festival of World Cinema. The success of Ram led the way to his feature debut Juze, for which he cast several nonprofessional actors from that same short movie.
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