Private Project

A Temporary Matter

Adapted from the short story - A Temporary Matter by Jhumpa Lahiri, from the book of Interpreter of Maladies, the film draws inspiration in its plot and structure. The narrative revolves around a couple, a husband and wife, who over a period of 5 days, courtesy nightly blackouts, get to talk after almost 6 months. These power cuts bring Shobha and Shukumar together for a series of secrets and confessions being shared after the birth of their still born child. Darkness provides a refuge, an alternative reality where Shobha and Shukumar’s fear, grief, and insecurities don’t stand in the way of opening up to one another. It becomes clear their emotional estrangement began much before the loss of their child. The intimacy of sharing meals together leads to truths they are not prepared for. By the end of the confessions, the two weep together, “for the things they now knew.”

  • Deepanwita Goswami
    Director
  • Deepanwita Goswami
    Writer
  • Deepanwita Goswami
    Producer
  • Anamika Bera
    Key Cast
    "Shobha"
  • Subham Mukherjee
    Key Cast
    "Shukumar"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Khonosthayi
  • Project Type:
    Student
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 36 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 20, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    330 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    Bengali
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Sony Alpha-7 III
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
Director Biography - Deepanwita Goswami

Deepanwita Goswami is a film and visual communication student studying in National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India. Her work lies at the intersection of design, writing and film making. She is interested in art and making films from the perspective of craft as well as dialogue. She likes to note the impact of time with respect to culture, politics, society, economic demography on our visible and invisible surroundings. Her work involves filtering, dissecting, defamiliarising characters and stories so that they could be relooked and reinvented in times relevant to today.

Deepanwita did her Bachelor of Design in Textiles from National Institute of Fashion Technology, Gandhinagar, India. Her foray into films from textiles took the route of visual communication and writing. She first started writing in the year 2012 as a blogger and soon started developing fictional short narratives that sit tight in the realm of stories yet to be told. In this age of visual overload, she wants to make and curate subjects that oscillate between narratives of told times yet unseen so far.

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Director Statement

The themes outlined in this film are grief, alienation and deception. People who suffer the loss of a loved one often go through a period of not wanting to go on living themselves. Sadness may drown out all positive emotions. Symbols of darkness and food are used to bring out the relationship dynamics between the two. Shobha and Shukumar do not attempt to comfort or support each other. Each withdraws from the relationship, and they endure their grief as if they are two strangers living in a boarding house. In the story by Lahiri, the couple reunites whereas in the film, Shobha engineers her final separation from him, leading to a series of confessions leaving them despicable.