As the romantic monsoon rains loom, the extended Verma family reunites from around the globe for a last-minute arranged marriage in New Delhi. This film traces five intersecting stories, each navigating different aspects of love as they cross boundaries of class, continent and morality.
IFC Films Mirabai Films Paradis Films Pandora Filmproduktion iDream Productions Key Films Orfeo Films
Monsoon wedding - Matrimonio indiano, Monsoon Wedding - Hochzeit mit Hindernissen, Le mariage des moussons, Monsoon Wedding - Matrimonio indiano, La boda del Monzón, Esküvő monszun idején, Monsunowe wesele, Свадьба в сезон дождей, Monsunbröllop, Um Casamento à Indiana, חתונת מונסון, Les noces del monsó, Muson Düğünü, Le Mariage des moussons, Ο Γάμος των Μουσώνων, 季风婚宴, 몬순 웨딩, ქორწილი წვიმების სეზონზე, วุ่นหวานวิวาห์บานฉ่ำ
USAR
India
Germany0
Greece
Germany
Greece
India
USA
The Criterion Challenge 2021 #20 | Directed by a woman
Monsoon Wedding takes the chaos leading up to an arranged marriage and reframes it into a clash of tradition and modernity that unfolds against a tapestry of intrigue. Bride and groom have to steal moments away from their families to get to know each other, secrets are revealed, new romances blossom and ties supported by long-standing tradition are severed in the name of love.
If in Bollywood complicated problems have neat solutions and weddings are all about the pageantry, Mira Nair insists on the complexity and the suffering of it all. The whole affair feels overwhelming. Instead of creating tableaux, Nair films reunions and first meetings in close-ups and lets…
damn i loved this! had so many little stories but didn’t feel overstuffed, and the economy of storytelling was SO good that you get such a good sense of every character so quickly. every performance so good too. big time in love with all these people!!
also right from the jump i was getting SUCH rachel getting married vibes, and: the same person shot it!! so much of the structure of the movie too, i don’t see how this isn’t a huge influence to Demme on that. a big recommend from yours truly
Cinematic Time Capsule
2001 Marathon - Film #116
”I don’t even know who’s who half the time.”
“I know what you mean.”
This colorful, cultural celebration includes so many storylines that much like a real wedding it left me dizzy and confused, but happy for everybody and slightly hungover.
”Don’t think... just go with the flow.”
Rarely does a film transfix me so much that I forget to take notes.
Mira Nair subverts and downright demolishes the Bollywood archetype, showing us that:
-- There is beauty in the seemingly unglamorous
-- There is flaw and downright evil in the seemingly glamorous and burgeois
These are observations we as a society tend to not recognize or forget.
Yet at the same time, there is such a love for the color and vibrancy of Bollywood.
Simply put, Monsoon Wedding left me breathless.
I Can Easily Say This Is The Most Underrated Masterpiece I've Ever Seen: A Very Inspired Review
It would be easy to dismiss Monsoon Wedding based on its overstated qualities and a style that works against the type of film we're used to praising as cinephiles. Mira Nair bulldozes against cinema à la PTA or Fincher or Kubrick by breaking many unspoken or well-spoken commandments of high cinema: she cuts constantly, shots an overflow of close-ups, invades her movie with music, uses handheld exclusively..., leaving us with an eclectic result reminiscent of a soap opera and not at all a typical Golden Lion winner.
It could be easy to dismiss, but to do so would mean overlooking what Nair and…
I haven't watched many Indian movies, but Monsoon Wedding, Mira Nair's well-deserved Golden Lion winner, opens up a new cinema dimension for me. It's stylish, rapturous, and has a story that's equal parts heartwarming and heartwrenching.
As its title suggests, Monsoon Wedding chronicles the days leading up to a big wedding in India. It examines the stark class divides in India by peering into the world of the riches, while never hiding its naturalistic camera from the less fortunate everyday folks.
The plot of Monsoon Wedding is also highly applaudable. Every main character exists with a clear arc, and a marvelous ensemble ensures a collectively knockout performance. For its nearly 2-hour runtime, Nair bombards the story with new developments and twists that toy with the audience's feelings. Overall Monsoon Wedding is a highly conscious story that tackles multiple issues in India with utmost style, fun and heart. Highly recommended.
Monsoon Wedding is a celebration of life through the many complexities of a conventional upper-class Indian matrimony. It is as real as any Indian betrothal, an authentic portrayal dripped in an oneiric yet and chaotic and joyful exuberant aura.
Though primarily in English and centred around an event of the bourgeoisie, the Indian culture and charm aren't lost a bit through Mira Nair's gaze and the poignancy is maintained throughout. In Nair's hands, everything is fleshed out like a cream, resembling a fading dream.
Declan Quinn's camera captures India in its most sophisticated state, from the crowded markets to the cacophonic streets to the melancholic nights and grandeur refectories and above all, the intimacy of the characters is beautifully encapsulated.…
