Aparajito (1956)

 Satyajit Ray's "Aparajito"

After the wild success of his debut feature film, 1955's "Pather Panchali," Satyajit Ray followed it up with a direct sequel. 1956's "Aparajito" is the second film in a three film trilogy based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's 1929 novel "Pather Panchali," which details the coming-of-age of Apu. Ray's 1956 sequel, "Aparajito" picks up where the previous film left off, with Apu and his family moving to Varanasi. 

"Aparajito" details the last part of Bandyopadhyay's novel. After Apu's family moves to Varanasi, his father passes away from an illness. This leaves him all alone with only his mother. After encouraging his mother to enlist him in the nearby school, Apu begins to receive high praise from the administrators. He is granted a scholarship to go and study in Calcutta, much to his mother's chagrin. This is one of the most predominant changes from the novel. In the novel, the relationship between Apu and his mother is much more mutually sweet and devotional. However, in "Aparajito," Apu's relationship with his mother is more distant as he continues to advance in his studies. 

Due to this dramatic change in the nature of their relationship, Indian audiences did not receive the film well, as it strayed from the conventional mother-son relationship found in the novel. However, beyond India, "Aparajito" was universally acclaimed, even winning the Golden Lion at the 1957 Venice Film Festival. It receives multiple accolades across a variety of international countries. 

If "Pather Panchali" didn't already demonstrate Ray to be a powerhouse in the art of filmmaking, "Aparajito" certainly echoed these sentiments. While watching "Aparajito," I found Ray continuously using expressionistic, pictorial images while somehow simultaneously adhering to the philosophies of neo-realism. The true emotionality at the heart of the film is felt, not overtly demonstrated. Ray's blocking and framing illustrate characters' internal emotionality and inform the viewer of the tonal themes at play. 

These themes at play within the film adhere to the standard 'coming-of-age' genre. Apu must learn how to grow up very quickly, given his unfortunate circumstances. On top of this, he does as every growing teenager does and becomes increasingly distant from his mother. The feeling expressed and observed in the film are universal concepts that everyone can relate to, including the mother's fears of abandonment and her growing concern for her isolation. 

"Aparajito" feels like two ships passing in the night. Apu must learn how to grow and becoming a functioning adult, while his mother slowly declines into isolation and loneliness. It is a film that burns slowly with unrequited love and familial affection. Ray does a fantastic job of instituting these internal longings with a sense of existential dreariness. I think this enhances the source material into something far more complex and human.