Pride Unprejudiced: LGBTQ+ Cinema on MUBI

Cinema is a powerful medium, one that has always endeavoured to create space for stories that are often ignored or dismissed by our society. Indian independent cinema has especially given us some incredible LGBTQ+ centric films. In celebration of Pride month, we are shining a spotlight on some such short films that are now streaming on MUBI:

IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK?
Leena Manimekalai’s short documentary, Is It Too Much To Ask? is an important portrait of the routine prejudice faced by trans women. Smile and Glady, two friends on the lookout for an apartment in Chennai, are subjected to deeply troubling discrimination while doing a simple yet significant task — searching for a home. The depiction of the inherent prejudice is baffling yet so real, making the film truly a pivotal piece of queer cinema.  

PASHI
Siddharth Chauhan’s short film is heartfelt and humane. Set in a profoundly picturesque Himalayan village, Pashi tells the story of a boy’s development, from innocence to experience. As the young boy deals with his identity crises, his coming-of-age is highlighted thought-provokingly through a folk tradition taught by his grandmother. 

AND THE UNCLAIMED
Debalina Majumder’s short documentary on the double suicide of two women in love forces you to acknowledge the tragic consequences of forcing heterosexual normativity on people of varied identities and sexualities. Through the letter left behind by the couple, the film evokes heart-wrenching empathy and spotlights the immense need for it while dealing with the issues faced by the queer community in India. 

THE FISH CURRY
Abhishek Verma’s animated short is a visual and narrative masterpiece. As the protagonist of the film prepares to come-out, the preceding moments of vulnerability before the momentous task are translated beautifully through the cooking of the fish curry. It is a wonderfully conceived and composed piece of cinema.

THE BOOTH
Rohin Raveendran’s short film is clever yet tender. It follows the story of a female mall security guard and her forbidden love. As the women indulge in their desire in the confined space of a frisking booth, the captivity of the enclosed space amidst a crowded public space is an ingenious metaphor for the confinement felt by the members of the queer community.