Cobalt Blue (2021) India

When an aspiring author and his free-spirited sister both fall for the enigmatic paying male guest at their home, ensuing events rock their traditional family.

Why do I like It? Why recommend it?

Based on Sachin Kundalkar’s novel, it’s a story about a love triangle, heartbreak, hidden love, breaking free, and finding happiness in difficult places.

While I admit this movie isn’t perfect, this is still a visually stunning film that made my heart break more than once. What problems it does have I think are mainly in the script. They were trying to adapt a lengthy 400 page book into a single film with a typical 2 hour running time and it felt like they just couldn’t quite fully do it successfully. At times it felt like important scenes were missing or at least incomplete (for example, the sister’s side of the love story). But even with some unanswered questions, it is still a great watch.

Hindi queer cinema is a rare find and this film offers a great glimpse into a world that is predominately conservative and set in ancient traditions. The filmed locations are beautiful, captured in a very artistic way, topped off with a story that is real and honest.

Give this movie a chance and find out how this new handsome arrival turns a brother and sister’s life upside down. I think you’ll enjoy going along for the ride.

Excellent performances by the 3 leads. Prateik Babbar, Dr. Neelay Mehendale, Anjali Sivaraman. Special mention to Neil Bhoopalam who broke my heart.

Available to stream: Netflix.

Marcelino Rosas

Marcelino “Marc” Rosas is a novelist, essayist and film reviewer whose writing centers on the intersection of Queer and Latinx identity. Raised in Los Angeles as the eldest son in a Mexican-American family with traditional views of masculinity, his debut novel Afuera (Out) and its follow-up Fuerte (Strong) are celebrated for their passionate and candid portrayal of the challenges confronting a young man coming of age in a machismo-dominated culture as he explores and finally fully embraces his identity as a gay Latino man. A one-time fashion and figure model himself, Marc has always had a strong appreciation for the arts, in particular film. Thus his passion for sharing hidden gems of queer cinema via his film reviews with his ever-growing audience. When not at his writing desk working on his next book, Marc spends his time in the gym or traveling with the love of his life Pieter, his husband of many years.

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