Bombay Rose

Gitanjali Rao's 2019 animated film tells the story of a woman selling flowers in Mumbai and a young man who falls in love with her. The obstacle between them is not only poverty; coming from different religions makes the relationship impossible. In a parallel story an elderly teacher remembers her own past. The whole film was painted by hand. Every frame was drawn separately, which gives the animation a texture joining the Indian miniature tradition to Bollywood poster aesthetics. Rao completed most of the production with a small team, spread over years. The realistic passages and the characters' fantasy sequences are drawn in different styles; the fantasies are more saturated and more fluid. That distinction is the film's most striking quality. It opened Critics' Week at Venice. Who it's for: those who like animation made for adults and handmade visual styles. Who it's not for: viewers wanting fast narrative; the film ties several stories together slowly.