That Girl in Yellow Boots

Anurag Kashyap's 2010 Indian film follows a young woman working off the books in Mumbai. Ruth has come from England to look for the father who left them years earlier; her visa has expired, she works in a massage parlour and spends part of what she earns from clients on the search. The film shows the city from no tourist angle: bribes in government offices, gang connections and how easily a woman's body is turned into goods make up its texture. Ruth's persistence drives the story, but Kashyap does not fit her into the strong-woman mould either, and her decisions often harm her. Kalki Koechlin both stars and co-wrote the screenplay. The ending is harsh and disputed. Who it's for: viewers who like Indian independent cinema and dark city stories. Who it's not for: anyone who would rather not approach sexual abuse and incest; the film arrives there.