Pyre

peacefully! Pyre is about the a elderly couple living in solitude on the hills under the blanket of Himalayas. When their health starts to deteriorate, each day they drift towards the pyre(death) as the people in the mountain village drift away to form new life. Lives of Kumaon village are affected by political and social constraints which are highlighted in a very subtle way. Villages have been hollowed out by migration due to lack of opportunities in the village. There is no basic infrastructure for people to live a dignified life. No roads, no school, no hospital, no shops. They depend on nature and animals to provide for them. That's why you will see in the movie, Each time the old couple received help or for favours, he gave away a goat. And there is a scene where they were asked, what if you ran out of goats? His reply was "We will be gone before that happens." So those goats were like their lifelines. Thier life is always lingered by the shadow of death which follows them all the time, waiting for them to fall on the pyre. Even though it is set in a remote place with different settings, the theme is very universal. The film connects with diverse audiences because of the couple’s loneliness, their bonding, the love and even the hate that is between them. It's a story of companionship that thrives till the very last breath. I was really when I got to know that Padam Singh and Heera Devi, both are non-professional actors. But the performances they have given are damn moving, i really thought they were theatre actors. Because there is so much natural flow in theri performance, and the chemistry they share is really good. Film carries some really beautiful yet haunting photography, It brings out the kumaon's natural beauty as well as the forbidding expanse. Pyre is a poignant take on life , death , isolation and loneliness.