From Omeleto.
A romantic and a cynic argue.
THE MOON is used with permission from Niyantha Shekar. Learn more at https://niyantha.com.
One man — an artist with a romantic temperament who is painting on a rooftop — gazes up at the moon. He implores his companion — an older, cynical man who’s more of a realist — to take a look at the beautiful sight, but the older man writes it off, preferring to stare at his phone.
But the younger, more hopeful man persists, much to the older man’s annoyance. Finally tempted with a beer, the two men finally look, though they argue still. The older man says the moon was just a "desert of nothing," but the younger one is still wide-eyed and heartfelt in his appreciation for the moon’s beauty. The pair soon find themselves in a larger conversation, about hope and idealism vs. realism and resignation. But it’s only when they listen to one another that they find common ground and the grace of understanding.
Directed and written by Niyantha Shekar, this philosophically inclined short drama is about two fundamentally different views on life. One leans towards the hopeful and idealistic, looking for beauty and optimism in life’s experiences. The other is more weary and embattled, worn down by life’s travails to see it as a bitter struggle and fight for survival. Through conversation, they both defend and extol the virtue of their respective positions, turning their discussion into a meditation on self-evolution and how to hold onto our capacity for wonder in an often difficult world.
Shot with intimate, coolly luminous cinematography, the film’s foundation rests on its richly thoughtful writing and performances, both working together to lay a thematic groundwork. At first, their discussion is focused on their differences, both criticizing the other. The young romantic artist is kind and sensitive, but underneath his entreaties lies the assumption that the older, more cynical man has gone astray. The cynic becomes defensive, saying he is a realist and that the younger man has his head in the clouds.
Actors Lakshvir Saran and Pranjal Vaid both offer natural, unaffected performances that convey the fundamental attitudes of their characters. But most importantly, they aren’t just soapboxes for their respective positions. They’re both craving the other’s approval and understanding, and they’re both hurt when they feel judged by the other. But when the conversation turns towards the more personal, excavating memories with specific detail, the film leaves the abstract and becomes more of an emotional experience in which the opposed viewpoints come to a harmony — and makes its elegantly simple, lyrical ending all the more quietly magical.
Thoughtful, contemplative and heartfelt, THE MOON is about how we return to ourselves, often by being in dialogue with all aspects of ourselves, including those that we feel we have to leave behind. After heartaches, losses, tragedies, setbacks and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, how do we recover our footing while still holding onto the hope and optimism that made us embark on those dreams in the first place? How do we find ourselves again after being lost in the wilderness of life? These questions are existential and relatable — and perhaps inspire viewers to embark on conversations with their own younger, hopeful selves.
