LOEV

India, 2015, 92 minutes, Colour.
Dhruv Ganesh, Siddarth Menon, Shiv Pandit.
Directed by Sudhanshu Saria.


As the 21st-century has developed, the Indian film industry has ventured into stories about same-sex relationships, difficult because of anti--homosexual legislation in India.

Probably one of the best films for audiences to see the impact of homosexuality, being in the closet, living a somewhat secret gay life, opening up to parents who are shocked, is the 2018 film Evening Shadows. While it may seem “old hat� to film viewers from Western countries, it is a film that can be watched by parents, challenged but not a shocking treatment, so that they might be able to understand and moved towards acceptance.

Loev, while it has an Indian setting, the city of Mumbai, excursions into beautiful mountainous countryside, beautiful, pretty to look at, the style of filmmaking and storytelling is more Western.

In the first half of the film, while there is dialogue and the domestic situation, a couple going away for a weekend to a resort, some talk, some modest sharing of a room and bird, it is in the latter part of the film that there is more explicit behaviour and, surprisingly and shockingly, especially for some gay audiences, a rape sequence.

We are introduced to characters – that may not be such an accurate description because we are presented with characters, though very little about them, and do not learn much more. Rather, they are introduced and we discover something of who they are in terms of their behaviour and communication. The central character is a young man, a musician, sharing an apartment with a quite campy and seemingly irresponsible producer. They argue about the cutting off of electricity and who should pay the bill.

However, the musician is at the airport to meet a friend, a businessman coming in from New York, continually on his mobile phone and then Skyping. The relationship between them is suggested rather than made particularly explicit. There is some moodiness between them, indications of the businessman’s New York background, marriage and son, but they spend some time walking and climbing in the beautiful landscapes.

This businessman has to attend a meeting with agreements that seem to have fallen through. On his return to the room, this is where the rape sequence takes place, the seeming regret of the perpetrator, the complete passivity, even acceptance, by the partner.

The rest of the film, there is a dinner at a restaurant where they meet up with the roommate and his young associate, drinks later, conversation – and the businessman going to the airport to return to New York, thinking about what has happened, and the two men going home to their apartment.

Bloggers have commented on the beauty and the sensitivity of the film – while others are critical of the lack of background information about the characters and express some deep concerns about the rape sequence.

There is an element of sadness because the central actor, Dhruv Ganesh, died during post-production of tuberculosis at the age of 29.