First Takes - 'Crying in the Dark'by B Prasanna

'Crying in the Dark' unfolds like a semi-documentary with a man interviewing a blind woman for the book which she wrote. The book is abot her life story and her struggles. In her resonant narration is a voice that is confident and composed. Almost like a how a psycologist would sound. Of course, as the story. Seated beside her, the man is a dedicated listener, but seems a little insecure. As her story gets deeper, he becomes more drawn towards her. This is the point the film borders on the theatrics of TV soap. His infatuation takes a quick turn into love. But it also becomes a point her character starts to get interesting.

For a first film, this is a rather polished and well-deliberated attempt. The script is poignant though a little formulaic. But Prasanna had some bold touches that made it a little wayward, a little off-the-mill. This includes a computer generated sequence and a nightmarish scene when she wakes up suddenly being able to see. At times, the visuals and sound are jarring, mainly because of the melodramatic overtones. Somehow, the constant drumming in of music gave it a strong genre feel, that took some attention away from the depth in the characterisation.

For the entire look and feel of the film, Prasanna pulled together a lot of resources from scratch. Certainly a concerted effort of a considerable team of people. Given that he is student in Electrical Engineering, it is food for inspiring thought for the people who attend this monthly screening of 'first' (sometimes 'second') films.

Director’s Bio: Prasanna is a student doing his final semester in Electrical Engineering in NUS. He has always been very passionate about films, and has made two short films CRYING IN THE DARK and POETRY AT DUSK. He aspires to become a serious filmmaker.
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