REVIEW: Umrika – A Charming Coming of Age Film

REVIEW: Umrika – A Charming Coming of Age Film – by Max Vishney

Umrika is a surprisingly charming comedy-drama  coming-of-age film directed by Prashant Nair. While viewers may be unfamiliar with the director, the familiar cast punches well above its weight for a film that made its debut in the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Suraj Sharma of Life of Pi fame is joined by Tony Revolori, who viewers may recognise as Zero Moustafa from last year’s The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The title of the film is apt – ‘Umrika’, from the Hindi pronunciation of America, is a land idealised and revered by the simply living people of Jitvapur, a rural village in the vicinity of Mumbai. When Udai – a young man – leaves his village for the promise of America, he promises to regularly write back to his parents and younger brother. Several years on when the letters come to an ominous end it falls to Udai’s younger brother Ramakant, now a man himself, to find out what became of his brother. At the risk of spoiling the story, I can say that Umrika is a highly emotional journey and its twists and turns are quite stirring.

The movie is written in Hindi, however its translation in subtitles is just as poignant and the plot is captivating enough that the viewer does not find their mind wandering during the film; not to mention the quality of acting that brings Umrika to life. The characters are endearing and relatable, and the language barrier is surmounted by the universality of the themes touched upon in the movie. It provides a genuine commentary on concepts of family, duty, and maturity; and if one were to read further between the lines they would see themes of crime, morality, and the modernisation of the developing world.

On top of this, Umrika is an extremely visually and aurally impressive film. Prashant Nair skilfully uses colour and ambience to make every shot reflective of Ramakant’s experience, and the soundtrack hums life into Umrika’s narrative. However, if one is tired easily of night scenes shot under fluorescent lighting as many are mid-way through the movie in its Mumbai setting, they may find Umrika a touch visually repetitive.

While similar movies to Umrika have most certainly been done before, Prashant Nair puts a new spin on the coming-of-age genre in a refreshing setting that too rarely crosses onto screens in western media. If you enjoy coming-of-age fiction and don’t mind reading subtitles, you’ll love Umrika.