Shadowbox

Fear and loathing on the outskirts of Kolkata in a concise thriller about a wife searching for her missing husband. Russian premiere as part of the Collective Cinema Festival.

Baksho Bondi
2025, Tanushree Das, Saumyananda Sahi

India
93 minutes, Bengali with Russian subtitles

Starring: Tillotama Shome, Chandan Bisht, Sayan Karmakar, Suman Saha

Maya is overwhelmed: she must care both for her teenage son, Debu, and her husband, Sundar, who has been out of work for eight years, fails every job interview, and drinks every evening. Something has been wrong with Sundar for a long time, ever since he was discharged from the army: a mere touch of a shaving blade against his cheek triggers a panic attack. To make things worse, he suddenly disappears, and police find the body of his drinking companion.

Still from Shadowbox, 2025

A small, subtle film which tenderly pulls on the strings of our emotions.

—Vladan Petkovic, Cineuropa

Tanushree Das is a film editor renowned well beyond India. Her husband, Saumyananda Sahi, is a prominent cameraman. Shadowbox is their first film together, and it draws heavily on a deep understanding of the dynamics of family relationships within the Bengali context. This authenticity allows the viewer to stay glued to the screen, following the tense plot, unexpected visual techniques, and details.