Clearly influenced by Italian neorealism, this is the simple story of a small family living in poverty in rural Bengal. The backstory behind the film is quite impressive; it was director Satyajit Ray's first, and done with an incredibly low budget, inexperienced crew, and amateur actors. The result is often stunning. There are some truly beautiful scenes in the natural surroundings where the family live, and the cinematography is wonderful. The family members are striking as well, starting with the grandmother (Chunibala Devi), who with her withered face and stooped back, has quite an appearance. Devi portrays the character with inner fire and depth, and it was sad to read she passed away at 80 before the film was released. The little boy, Apu (Subir Banerjee) also looks out on the world he is growing up in with such beautiful eyes.
Despite the film being the first in the 'Apu Trilogy', the film really centers on the mother (Karuna Banerjee), who is the bedrock of the family. She keeps it together while the husband (Kanu Banerjee) pursues idealistic dreams, often not taking their economic condition seriously enough. She deals with her neighbors, who criticize her daughter (Runki Banerjee and Uma Dasgupta) for stealing fruit, and also her parenting. She accepts her own broken dreams ("I had lots of dreams too. All the things I wanted to do..."), and handles the sadness which comes their way.
While I appreciated the film's beauty, and the fact that it transported me into this impoverished little world, it was a little too quiet for my taste. There are some moving events and it finishes strong, but too much of it was mundane along the way. Perhaps Ray simply captures this little world perfectly, without pretense and completely realistically, which artistically is saying something, and what resonates so strongly with most critics. If that's what you're looking for, this is your film. As an alternative, I personally liked a couple of his later films better (Charulata (1964), and The Coward (1965)), which you might consider.
Despite the film being the first in the 'Apu Trilogy', the film really centers on the mother (Karuna Banerjee), who is the bedrock of the family. She keeps it together while the husband (Kanu Banerjee) pursues idealistic dreams, often not taking their economic condition seriously enough. She deals with her neighbors, who criticize her daughter (Runki Banerjee and Uma Dasgupta) for stealing fruit, and also her parenting. She accepts her own broken dreams ("I had lots of dreams too. All the things I wanted to do..."), and handles the sadness which comes their way.
While I appreciated the film's beauty, and the fact that it transported me into this impoverished little world, it was a little too quiet for my taste. There are some moving events and it finishes strong, but too much of it was mundane along the way. Perhaps Ray simply captures this little world perfectly, without pretense and completely realistically, which artistically is saying something, and what resonates so strongly with most critics. If that's what you're looking for, this is your film. As an alternative, I personally liked a couple of his later films better (Charulata (1964), and The Coward (1965)), which you might consider.