Disclaimer: Spoiler Alert: A few scenes from the short film ‘The Mirror’ have been detailed to the best of the writer’s ability and understanding of the subject. This may spoil your film-watching experience if you haven’t watched the short yet. Readers’ discretion is advised.
Do I see myself in ‘The Mirror’?
I look at myself every day in the mirror. It is usually a rushed affair. I layer my eyes with kohl, brush my hair and give those final touches to the face, hair, and attire – and I am ready to step out.
How often do I look into the mirror and pause for some time? Do I take a moment to reflect on how far I have come by - the fears, pains, rebellions, and joys I have been through? Do I recognise my deep, dormant feelings? Do I understand the inhibitions and desires that have settled in, deep within?
Perhaps not.
Perhaps, the emotions are so cold, suppressed, and underdeveloped that they generally don’t show up in day-to-day events. The sentiments start becoming mature only when they are faced with a situation. A situation that challenges the status quo and throws us into a deep pit of wanting.
And, thus, we enter the world behind the face in the mirror.
Something like that happened when I watched ‘The Mirror’.
The Mirror– a short by the brilliant filmmaker Konkona Sen Sharma in the Netflix anthology Lust Stories 2, explores the themes of loneliness, desire, class divide, and voyeurism through the characters played by the terrific actors Tillotama Shome and Amruta Subhash.
One of the initial scenes establishes the positions of the two characters – Ishita (played by Tillotama Shome) and Seema (played by Amruta Subhash). Ishita – a single, career-oriented woman, discovers that her house help – Seema is having sex with a man in her bedroom. Ishita immediately runs out to a corner. In a static frame, Ishita calls up her friend (Sen Sharma’s voice on the other end), Seema steps out, takes the lift, and the man moves out of the frame. That shot depicts the power dynamics between the characters, wherein Ishita first stands tall and firm, but in a moment’s time, she too, bends down. Literally - to hide from the other two, figuratively - reaching to the core emotions that are the same, regardless of the class divide.
In a usual setting, one would terminate the services of the help. But Ishita chooses not to confront Seema about it – for Ishita starts deriving pleasure from seeing them have sex. Day after day, she sneaks into the house that is officially hers and watches them perform through a mirror. These scenes are aesthetically shot, with long continuous pans signifying the transition of days. Another impressive aspect of these scenes is the gripping soundtrack.
The extreme close-up shots of Ishita’s face while she is seeing them in action are representative of her bottled-up emotions. Tillotama Shome’s expressions are of top class. Her eyes do all the talking, and her face carries hidden sentiments of longing. There is a scene where Ishita masturbates and then breaks out crying. That one scene encapsulates everything that Ishita, as a character, is going through. Her internal dilemma stems from a deep-seated yearning to be with someone and be the recipient of someone’s touch and love. Despite the worldly belongings that Ishita owns, she doesn’t feel any richer than her house help. Seema may not have material possessions but has a companion to realise her needs, to love, and to traverse through life.
The film also explores the elasticity of physical spaces. How a certain space can be shared, owned, and disowned by its inhabitants - depends largely on the situation and time. In a scene where Seema first realises that Ishita is in the house and perhaps, in the know of what’s going on – Seema takes ownership of the space while Ishita tiptoes away from her own house. The choreography of the scene is tremendous and changes the underlying forces operating between the characters thereafter.
Tillotama Shome’s Ishita is strong and vulnerable – all at the same time. The character is surprised by its own switched mannerisms but owns and accepts them, nonetheless. From Monsoon Wedding to the latest The Night Manager – Shome truly lights up the frame with every character she plays on-screen.
Amruta Subhash’s Seema is strong, sassy, and upright – much like her manager in The Mirror. Subhash’s performance has all along been appreciated in Bollywood projects like - Firaaq, Gully Boy, Sacred Games 2, Choked, and Bombay Begums, among others. However, my favourite Amruta Subhash film has been Avinash Arun’s national award-winning Marathi drama Killa (2015). Subhash, as a widowed mother in the coming-of-age film, portrays a compelling character – tender, compassionate, and stoic at times.
The Mirror is Konkona Sen Sharma’s second directorial project. A Death In The Gunj(2017), her directorial debut, established the fact that she is just as unparalleled a director as she is an actor. For anyone who has followed Sen Sharma’s work over the years across languages, it is quite difficult to put down a list of her best performances. In fact, it is almost impossible unless one is tasked to. Irrespective of whether it is a lead role or not – Sen Sharma’s acting supremacy cannot be disregarded.
However, there is one film that I cannot not mention. 15 Park Avenue- one of her earliest films- had the power to stir up my emotions and numb me for days when I first watched it. Sen Sharma played the character of a schizophrenic woman under the guidance and direction of her mother and prolific filmmaker – Aparna Sen. It is one of the few Indian films that talk about mental health issues with the sensitivity and understanding it warrants. 15 Park Avenuewas released in 2005.
18 years later with The Mirror, Konkona Sen Sharma is still at her best – just that, now she dons the Director’s hat with as much dexterity as she does with her acting.
Written by Konkona Sen Sharma and Pooja Tolani, The Mirror is the most powerful of all shorts in Lust Stories 2. It opens you up to the world of two women who enjoy exploring sexual desire unapologetically. The film brings me to question: Why is it that the forbidden, the mysterious, and the unattainable are always so desirous? And what is it about transgression that makes desire so palpable and compelling?
The Mirror will make you pause, introspect and question. Allow it to find its way to your mind and reflections. It is currently streaming on Netflix.
I leave you with a few lines from one of the most admired poets of the 20th century - Sylvia Plath. The lines crossed my mind as I watched the film. Interestingly, the poem is titled Mirror.
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is part of my heart. But it flickers.
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.
The article was published on WION webiste on 18th August, 2023.
