The latest in the expanding library of adult coming-of-age movies, Pushan Kripalani’s Goldfish treads territory likely familiar to fans of the subgenre – but despite the old saying, this sophomore directorial effort proves that familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt.
Sadhana (Deepti Naval) and Anamika (Kalki Koechlin) are an estranged mother and daughter reluctantly reunited by Sadhana’s encroaching dementia. Anamika remembers Sadhana as abusive and cruel in the wake of her father’s death, and as a result she’s spent her adult life apparently avoiding all contact. Drawn back to the U.K. after Sadhana’s long-time friend and neighbor, Laxmi (Bharti Patel), reports that her mother nearly lit the house on fire, it’s clear from the moment Anamika arrives that she’d rather be anywhere but home. “Let’s just get through this,” she says when Sadhana opens the door. For Anamika, her mother is an inconvenience, a source of trauma and unresolved grudges.
In perhaps the most notable indication of this, Anamika repeatedly drugs Sadhana with an antipsychotic to keep her calm. The behavior is only stopped by Laxmi, who says one day that Sadhana is “too calm” and warns Anamika that daughter or not, she won’t hesitate to defend Sadhana if she sees her friend being mistreated.
This neighborly interest and compassion is one of the highlights of Goldfish. Its loving depiction of a tight-knit community whose nosiness stems from genuine concern was charming enough to give me a pang of envy. That community is also what allows Anamika to reevaluate her understanding of Sadhana. Their stories contain surprises and revelations and such obvious love, not to mention a forum for asking the questions she doesn’t feel comfortable discussing with Sadhana yet.
After so many years apart and so much time spent wounding each other with misplaced grief, in the end, what matters for Sadhana and Anamika is the simple act of showing up for each other.
“Do you know who I am?” Anamika asks, her hand in Sadhana’s.
“No,” Sadhana tells her. “But this is enough.”
8th Annual Indie Meme Film Festival, April 12-16 in person, April 28-May 1 online. Passes, individual tickets, and info at indiememe.org.
This article appears in April 14 • 2023.