“A seductive, allegorical study of male-female relationships” The Guardian ****
Freida Pinto first found fame in Slumdog Millionaire and quickly became an auteur favourite. But no role has demanded more of her than Trishna. Complex, spontaneous, pure-hearted and tragic, her character in Michael Winterbottom’s new film is a signature Indian woman. She is also Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles.
Setting Hardy’s novel against the backdrop of today’s India was a masterstroke that allows Winterbottom to revitalize a groundbreaking work of Victorian fiction. Trishna (Pinto) lives with her family in a village in Rajasthan. As the eldest daughter, she works in a nearby resort to help pay the bills. Jay (Riz Ahmed) is the wealthy son of a property developer. When he takes up managing a resort at his father’s request, he meets Trishna at a dance. Jay finds every opportunity to win Trishna’s affection. But when the two move to Mumbai and become a couple, Jay’s deep family bonds threaten the young lovers’ bliss.
Shot in the picturesque expanse of Jaipur and the modern bustle of Mumbai, Trishna is a powerful look at the tension between ancient privilege and modern equality, between the codes of urban and rural life, and ultimately between men and women. -Cameron Bailey, Toronto International Film Festival
