Shadowbox had its World Premiere at Berlinale. Watch the Canadian Premiere at IFFSA Toronto.
SYNOPSIS
Maya lives with her husband Sundar and their teenage son Debu in a dusty Kolkata suburb. She has several jobs: she cleans houses, works on a chicken farm and irons laundry. Sundar, an ex-soldier who suffers from PTSD, is the laughingstock of the neighbourhood. Debu is often left to care for his father and is torn between embarrassment and affection for him. Maya receives little support from her own family during this difficult time: they were all opposed to her marriage to Sundar, considering him to be an outsider. Maya tries to coax Sundar into finding a job but he resists. Late one night, she wakes up to find him gone. While searching for her husband, Maya discovers he is a suspect in a murder investigation. When Sundar secretly returns home a few days later, hungry and terrified, the couple’s relationship and the family’s cohesion are put to the greatest test.