François Truffaut had said that film lovers were sick people. The Wire takes a look at this essential ‘sickness’ that plagues us to find out more about the films that meant something to us this year. Here is what authors, activists and fellow journalists told us about what moved them on the screen.
Pavan Korada, data analyst, The Wire
Thangaalan by Pa. Ranjith. While the movie has its shortcomings – given its mind-boggling ambition of adapting the core thesis of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s book The Untouchables: Who Were They and Why They Became Untouchables? into a dramatic premise – I don’t think any other contemporary Indian filmmaker has dared to come close to such a vision. At a time when things are falling apart and the centre is unable to hold, gyrating into chaos, it’s heartening to see the voices from the margins making their way, crawling, slowly but surely, to the centre.
Anirudh S.K., news producer, The Wire
I’d never bothered to think more than cursorily what it would be like to witness death on the battlefield before, so when I watched Saving Private Ryan for the first time this year, I was both stunned and moved. I also wish I could have a sense of humour in the face of adversity the way Tom Hanks’s character does.
Jehangir Ali, correspondent
His Three Daughters is a rich and textured portrayal of how unspoken resentments, quiet desperation and false optimism tear apart the strange relationship between three siblings in the face of familial grief – the looming death of their father.
Geetanjali Shree, author
I happened to see Dilip Kumar’s Devdas again after many years and loved it. The stillness with which he played grief was most moving.
Faiyaz Wajeeh, editor, The Wire Urdu
Laapataa Ladies is an unforgettable film for me, not just for its cinematic brilliance but also for its deeply rooted theme. After a long time, I experienced a film that brought back to mainstream cinema the forgotten social landscape where women’s solitude and quiet whispers are heard loud and clear. The film shook me to my core, reminding me of the suffocating control patriarchy wields over women’s choices right down to their tastes and the sanctity of their kitchens.
Even now, I find myself unable to fully emerge from the world the film so vividly portrays one steeped in the politics of food and cooking. For me, the narrative often strays from its central theme, offering glimpses of a reality where, even today, women are denied the freedom to live according to their desires and tastes. It’s a powerful reminder of how entrenched these struggles remain.
Rohit Kumar, writer and activist
While We Watched by Vinay Shukla showed me very clearly the price that a truth-teller has to pay for refusing to compromise his convictions. The documentary is inspiring and heartbreaking in equal measure. Ravish Kumar’s wife and family have been heroic and deserve our gratitude.
Vani Vasudevan, veteran publisher
More than being moved (specifically), I would say I enjoyed these very different films immensely – Wicked Little Letters, Wonka, and Meiyazhagan (Tamil). Two of these were social comedies – WLL surprised me with its unsubtle satire and the Tamil film charmed me with its indulgent gentleness. Wonka of course was magical all the way – the music, the actors and the visually rich storytelling cast their spell.
Karan Thapar, veteran journalist
The film that moved me in 2024 is called One Life, starring Anthony Hopkins. It’s a true story about Nicholas Winton’s heroic role rescuing Jewish children from Czechoslovakia, in a race against time before the Nazis took over the country. I have to admit I cried watching it. So did Vaneeta, the dear friend who I saw the movie with.
Kavita Kabeer, writer and political activist
Films mostly disappointed me this year. I realised YouTube videos have taken over a large part of our viewing appetite; for good, or worse.
Also read: 2024 Wrap: Books That Moved Us This Year
Aquilur Rahman, social media manager, The Wire
While scrolling on Instagram, I saw a clip from Bhagwan Bharose. Overwhelmed with disappointment over the hype around Pushpa 2, the film directed by Shiladitya Bora and written by Sudhakar Nilmani Eklavya and Mohit Chauhan, eventually became one of the best films I have seen this year.
It is a story about ‘two young, impressionable kids whose ideas about faith are constantly questioned and changed as their little world expands and takes into fold their country’s fast-changing socio-political landscape.’
Pariplab Chakraborty, illustrator, The Wire
Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman is a brilliant film that explores themes of grief, the idea of a home in childhood, female friendship and the layers of childhood imagination. The story follows a young girl named Nelly who befriends another girl while dealing with her grandmother’s death. Their connection takes an unexpected turn, and the film beautifully portrays the emotional depth of childhood experiences. The essence of the film stays with you long after you have finished watching it.
Omar Rashid, correspondent
Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War. This mini series provides a revealing narrative on one of the most famous shootouts in American West history – the gunfight at the O.K Corral. The show breaks many popular myths about the cowboy culture in the USA and in a way, provides us a glimpse of how America came to be made. It also has elements of journalism. That kept me engaged too. You will find that cowboys of the 19th century US are not that different from the ‘gau rakshaks‘ in modern India.
Tamanna Naseer, associate editor, The Wire English
Amar Singh Chamkila‘s unflinching portrayal of societal hypocrisy and artistic passion moved me. The film showcases the singer’s struggles and resolve to create art on his own terms and depicts how powerful people silence unconventional voices. Diljit Dosanjh’s convincing performance as the titular character added depth to this impactful biopic.
Sharmita Kar, assistant editor, The Wire English
I happened to watch Marching in the Dark at the Beyond Borders Feminist Film Festival in Delhi. It is Marathi documentary set in the backdrop of farmer suicides in Maharashtra, but the film traces the lives of the widows left behind – how they try to break the cycle of debt burdened upon them by their husbands. As the film progresses, however, it turns into an eloquent storytelling about women’s empowerment, community building, mental health, and it is feminist in the truest sense. It’s also a powerful story about climatic chaos and poor governance and the people facing the brunt of it.
Sravasti Dasgupta, senior reporter, The Wire
Us and Them tells the story of two strangers who first meet on a train as they are travelling home for Chinese New Year. The film then traces the two through the years as they move through various stages of their life, the connections they form with each other, and how their relationship changes as they evolve as people and circumstances stand in the way of an ‘ever after’. As the film switches between colour and monochrome, colours and their absence become an important storytelling tool to evoke what is left unsaid through dialogue. A beautiful melancholy also permeates the film as the otherwise joyous occasion of a New Year becomes emblematic of changing times, much like a tree outside your childhood home that sees you grow, move away, come back only to go again over the years.
Elisha Vermani, news producer, The Wire English
A sardonic mother, determined to finish her cigarette in peace and refusing to ‘behave’ for the camera, and a goofball father who responds to his wife’s harmless rebukes with nothing but giggles and smiles, make up the better part of Anand Patwardhan’s latest film – The World is Family. It is as much a film about Patwardhan’s family as it is about the ethos that India’s freedom fighters wanted the fledgling nation to imbibe. A nation that no longer exists, Patwardhan says.
Saikat Majumdar, author
I Want to Talk, by Shoojit Sircar. A very bold film on a depressing subject, with a celebratory ending. I admired the way time and the growth of characters were depicted in the film – always a challenge for any narrative art. It is also a very unusual take on the Indian immigrant experience in the US.
Banjot Kaur, health reporter, The Wire
A 2022 production, I watched Swimmers in 2024. It is the true story of two Syrian refugee sisters, Yuva and Sara Mardini, who were professional swimmers. They were forced to flee Syria and seek asylum due to the ongoing civil war. And, what an arduous journey they take by sea on a small boat. In the middle of the sea, the boat started to drown because of overcrowding. The sisters jumped into the river to lighten the weight of the boat. They swam in the freezing waters of the sea, for hours, and guided the boat to the shore. Through enormous struggles, Yusra finally managed to qualify for 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, as part of Refugee Olympics Team (ROT) under the official Olympic flag. Sara devoted herself to the cause of refugees, and joined an NGO.
