'Nocturnal Burger' movie review: A thought-provoking expose on accumulated trauma

Still from Nocturnal Burger

Film: Nocturnal Burger
Cast: Bebo Madiwal, Millo Sunka,Trupti Khamkar, Pushpendra Singh, Viraj Selot, Somnath Mandal, Vicky Shinde, Shrikant Mohan Yadav, Mukesh Pachode
Director/Writer/Co-editor : Reema Maya
Co-editor: Rohan Kapoor
Producer: Michael Y. Chow
Cinematographer: Harshvir Oberai
Rating: 4/5
Runtime: 28 mins

After having its World premiere at Sundance Film Festival and winning 34 awards, Reema Maya's internationally acclaimed short Nocturnal Burger about child abuse is now in consideration for Best Live Action Short Film at the 96th Academy Awards®

The film is about a 13-year-old girl Minu (Bebo Madiwal) and a 30-something man, Sanu (Somnath Mondal) a school teacher, who are brought to a typically dysfunctional police station in Mumbai in the middle of the night by Simi (Millo Sunka) and another man who want to lodge a sexual abuse complaint against Sanu. The two had ostensibly, intercepted the auto which was privy to the shady going-on, and relate their versions of what happened. As Simi begins to narrate what she witnessed to the local male cop (Shrikant Yadav) and his junior female constable (Trupti Khamkar), we become privy to the systemic indifference linked to patriarchal leanings. The female constable, initially unwilling to stretch her case load, eventually gives in and tries to investigate what happened that night, or what could've happened?

Nocturnal Burger takes place on a rainy night in Mumbai. It is a coming-of-age film in a dark sense because the victim here is a 13-year-old girl who has been lured into becoming a victim with the promise of a burger. Inspired by a true incident, the film explores abuse and trauma using fantasy and escapism. It is at once a cautionary tale as well as a document about the mean streets of a city like Mumbai where sexual abuse could happen even in public places. The mix of non-actors and regional actors and shooting in real locations lends authenticity and heft to a narration that is both dramatic and hopeful.

Maya explores the growing indifference and passivity of society through an empathetic lens.We don't get to see what exactly transpired in the autorickshaw but the repurcussions are deeply felt.

When Minu's parents are called to accompany her in providing the statement, they seem helpless and apathetic.

Harshveer Oberoi's redolent camerawork gives us a deeper sense of the space that doesn't appear to respond with empathy towards a traumatic incident. We see Minu's gaze fixed on a group of trans women, as she is questioned about something she can hardly be expected to process. We can sense the alienation that Minu feels in that set-up.

Maya's film is replete with stylistic and visual grammar that is haunting and ambiguous. The vivid visual shifts in tone and imagery aids her in settling her diatribe on society and the aloof manner in which it deals with dark behavior. By not showing the suggested sexual transgression, Maya sets more worth on the victim's anguish and pain while reflecting negatively on the people who should have been her protectors. The narrative exposes the socio-economic realities of power, privilege, and injustice while depicting accumulated trauma that establishes a sense of solidarity between two sexual assault survivors. This film is a triumph of craft and vision and has deeply affecting performances to give it gravitas!