Film: The Stranger
Release date: 15th February 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 100 mins
Director: Satyajit Ray
Starring: Dipankar Dey, Mamata Shankar, Utpal Dutt, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Robi Ghosh
Genre: Drama
Studio: Mr Bongo
Format: DVD
Country: India/France
The Stranger represents the final statement from acclaimed Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray, who would pass away soon after due to heart complications.
Without any back-story, the film opens rather abruptly with Anila opening a letter from an uncle she had long thought had past. He disappeared some thirty-five years ago, but intends to return and stay with her as his only surviving family. The husband’s suspicions are instantly perked, but he bows to his wife’s desire – even if she’s not completely sure herself (hiding ornaments before her guest arrives).
When her uncle arrives, he does little to ease their concerns (openly stating that his passport could well have been faked), and though their son is pleased to have “a fake great uncle” to play with, and enthralled by his stories of travel and adventure, both Anila and her husband grow increasingly weary – enlisting the help of a friend to interrogate this ‘stranger’ – with their thoughts quickly turning to the financial repercussions of his return…
The key characteristics of any Satjajit Ray production are in place, with an orderly approach to filming that lends itself to long, drawn out scenes and verbose dialogue (at times making very little sense – particularly the scenes involving their inquisitive actor friend). And not forgetting the entertainingly bad acting from the supporting cast (stiff and expressionless), that serve to lift the efforts of the leads - Utpal Dutt is suitably questionable in his performance/appearance (a face that shouts villain).
As a story, the rational is weak. It’s more than questionable that any sensible person, especially a couple who are clearly so defensive of their material gains, would allow a complete stranger into their home - even if he is who he claims to be - and more so would then allow him to be alone with their child (soon after he arrives, their son sits alone with his new uncle on his bed). The father provides the only voice of reason (continuously griping and feeding his wife with doubts to his true identity and intentions), but given how it’s made very clear his standing (breadwinner and therefore waited on – even for the door to be opened for him), and where his wife’s place should be in the household, he would not have conceded to her wishes quite as easily.
There’s also a lack of tension and a number of possibilities instantly generated from this premise are ignored – whilst Utpal may be perfectly cast, his actions within the film rarely suggest foul play. Although he uses his intelligence to play a little on the father’s insecurities, it’s never worse than jovial, and he is kind and helpful (particularly with the son, who he gives a science lesson to, talks of explorations, and generously gifts coins collected from his travels – seemingly more attention and interaction than he gets from his own parents). Quickly warming to the suspected scoundrel of the piece renders the fears and doubts of his hosts irrelevant.
Ray does threaten to turn the story on its head, as the parents’ greed rises to the surface (visiting lawyers to find out if he can lay claim to inheritance behind the uncle’s back), but he seems to bottle out as we head to a gentle and almost sugary conclusion.
Although the meandering pace is representative of a Ray production, as if to allow time for you to digest any given point, the scenes here have been limited, which results in unnecessary scenes elongated even further (particularly where Anila sings and plays a sitar-type instrument for her guests). The director is also far less subtle in airing his opinions within the story – the questioning friend allows for a fairly unsubtle voice box rant on science, religion (something that creates barriers between people), mythology and westernisation (reference to junkies).
The film offers many interesting observations of India at the time: the characteristics/mannerisms adopted (bending to touch the feet when they greet someone); the wealthy; the treatment and expectancy of women (waiting on the men as they eat before eating themselves) and the underprivileged within their society; and how they, or more accurately Ray himself, viewed the outside world and how their country was changing (talk of how English was creeping into the vocabulary and the referral to the “white skinned”).
Commendably avoiding the obvious to take this story down a thrilling psychological route, Ray unfortunately uses the premise as a thin veil to air his own philosophical views. A tame conclusion to a career that would see Ray awarded an Oscar just months before his death. DH
