Popular reviews

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  Review by iqra ★★★★★ 1

  to all the white people disliking this- my condolences you have not lived in assam, and unsuccessfully tried to shake a tamul tree to make the tamuls fall down. i am sorry your life sucked and you live in a shitty overpriced apartment. i literally love this film and assam so much fuck all of you this made me homesick and im literally at home. tomrrow i will listen harder for the sound of crickets and kachupatta clusters rustling in the wind, and the bulbul singing.

  (this review is being written at 3:41 am)

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  Review by Sin ✊🏿 ★★★★ 21

  Bulbul Can Sing is a magnificent example of why I crave and cherish international cinema so goddamn much. 💜

  Imbued with a celebration of life from the lens of three rural Assamese youths, this film almost feels like a docufiction in how it intimately navigates the trio's close relationship and daily life experiences while also intricately observing the real lived texture of their village's culture and mores. Thus, I found myself compelled by both the loose narrative (which mainly feels like a meandering voyage) as well as the hella authentic and sometimes even educational depiction of the milieu.

  A major component of this coming of age drama is the exploration of Bulbul (protagonist) and her two besties' (Bonny and Suman)…

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  Review by milky ★★★★ 1

  BERLINALE '19 - #5

  Rima Das is a master of craft, pushing 'DIY' to its very limits - along with Das writing, directing, producing, shooting, editing and handling production design, one of the biggest laughs the film gets is during the credits where the 'Secondary Actors' section consists of about 100 people all with the surname 'Das', presumably related.

  Despite cries of amateurism from other sources, I barely noticed. This is an accomplished, tender, harrowing film. It presents an idyllic, Edenic world which it slowly pokes and picks at the cracks of before unleashing shocking tragedy in its most shameful and degrading form. The half hour that follows is basically perfect, an unbelievably painful and difficult sequence that ends in…

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  Review by olivia ★★★★ 4

  "you're beautiful. a ghost will come and catch you."

  "how do you write poetry?"
  "if you fall in love, it just comes out."

  "am i the only one in the world like this?"

  recommended by: sin
  recommend me a film here

  a sweet coming-of-age story about friendship (my favorite part of the film) and formative adolescent crushes turns ugly as bulbul can sing morphs from a soft, observant slice-of-life story into a jarring all-out tragedy. pretty tough to watch during the last half, due to intense oppression and devastating consequences. serves as a cautionary tale, both as a rebuke to adults putting so much undue repressive pressure on young people, and as an uplifting of innocence and pure intentions for…

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  Review by Harshith ★★★★★

  Evolution of Indian cinema challenge

  [Late 2010s]

  Late 2010s had productions in mainstream becoming increasingly expensive to appeal mass audience. Among those Baahubali 2, Tiger Zinda Hai, Padmaavat, Sanju, 2.0 and War expectedly became biggest hits, whereas Race 3, Thugs of Hindostan and Zero bombed big time at box-office. Some even on a limited budget grossed much higher in Secret Superstar, Hindi Medium, Andhadhun, KGF, Uri & Mission Mangal. Some ambitious experiments were made within a particular genre in Jallikattu, Avane Srimannarayana, Bombay Rose, Super Deluxe, Vada Chennai, Buddha.mov, Tumbbad, Gully Boy, October, Cargo and Mercury. It was also when major streaming media services entered urbane parts of India. This film is one such content-driven film which took early advantage of…

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  Review by shuv ❆ ★★★★½

  This film plays out like a documentary because the children are simply existing. But even their mere existence is pervaded by the patriarchy, eating away at their innocence bit by bit until it suddenly plunges them into the darkest of situations with no turning back. Although never explicitly mentioned, the film manages to highlight the poignancy of the story in context of the country and socioeconomic status of these children. But it also captures the feelings of adolescence and coming of age so authentically, that the struggles and triumphs feel universal. It's a simple tale of innocence lost, but it is so clear and personal in its approach that your heart breaks with the characters (and man, does it keep breaking in that second half). Just such a rare gem of a film; visually stunning, so beautifully written and hits you exponentially harder the more you sit with it.

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  Review by Nikhil Dash ★★★★½

  Rima Das, since her Oscar race is known as a leading name in the world of Indian contemporary cinema. She uses zero budget filmmaking techniques and still manages to make her films more visually appealing and better crafted than most of the big banner Bollywood movies.
  'Bulbul Can Sing' is about three friends - Bonnie, Suman and Bulbul - discovering and coming to terms with their sexualities. But since this is India and they live in an Assamese village, the patriarchal society wouldn't let them be at peace for too long. Bulbul is introduced in a frame where she is lying on the ground nearby flowers and twigs, instantly conveying that she is one with nature. She is mostly seen…

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  Review by Saransh Chhikara ★★★★

  Once again i was awestruck by Rima Das's work.stunning visuals, innocent but brilliant acting by all the cast members.
  Like her last film (village rockstars) this too is a one crew only film.
  Rima Das👏👏

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  Review by Ashwani Kumar ★★★★

  Bulbul Can Sing, a coming-of-age docufiction, is an exposition of the rural Indian adolescent by a rising voice in the Indian independent film arena, Rima Das in her latest directorial venture that opens into the heartlands of Das’ native village Chhaygaon, Assam and simultaneously allows a peek into the psyche of the common folk. Rima doesn’t give in to limitations and extracts such fine performances from the young talents at her disposal that it makes her film as much as an actors’ medium as the director’s. Bulbul Can Sing deserves our attention for the brilliant act in Suman played by Manoranjoan Das. Suman comes out to be a near-accurate portrayal of those who do not conform to binary definitions and…

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  Review by Neel Mitra ★★★★ 2

  "If you listen to people, your life will be ruined. Do what your heart says."

  Rima Das is such a powerhouse! Bulbul Can Sing is one of the most emotionally impactful additions of 2019, and I really loved its poetic storytelling and gorgeous cinematography.

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  Review by Keerthi ★★★★½

  Haunting Coming of Age Drama

  One Crew Movie - (reminder - Check out Rima Das's work)

  With Realistic and Strong Presentation, it's a visual treat for a person who digs rural aesthetic. But it is a coming of age drama in essence, centred around 3 teens;
  It is meant to be felt, rather than cherished for technical brilliance I would say. Intricate and layered, film's portrayal of societal attitudes and human complexities is both beautiful and haunting.
  I hereby certify as a heart felt viewer, it's a beautiful yet heavy movie. At the same time, very genuine to its roots in terms of sensibilities.

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  Review by Vedant Bansal ★★★★ 1

  Bulbul Can Sing by Rima Das is an innocence, delicate & thoughtful slow-burner artistic poetic movie. It felt so mature compared to her previous movie Village Rockstars.