While Trishna didn't work for me, I wouldn't call it a failure. This is a very 'loose' adaptation of a Thomas Hardy novel: Tess of the d'Urbervilles, directed by Michael Winterbottom. Winterbottom took the book and set it in modern India, and it feels like two very different movies but never convincingly jelled as one. The first one is a romance between two young lovers with different backgrounds set in a vibrant city. You see here that Winterbottom is focusing more on the city and culture of India itself than the relationship. Then it shifts into another gear where the story takes place in rural India, as Winterbottom focus more on the couple's relationship and the struggle between the two. I have a hard time buying into a personality shift with one of the main character; it seems so sudden and abrupt. The final 10 minutes of the film is supposed to make a huge impact but it feels muted instead.

But I do give Winterbottom credit for trying to make a different film every time. He never repeats himself, and here he couldn't find a balance between a love letter to India and social class tragedy. Still it's a beautiful film to look at and an interesting experiment.