Sanskar

A journey through the countryside takes a sinister turn for a man and his daughter.

A man and his young daughter are on a motorcycle, travelling through isolated locations. Eventually, they see a lone man by the road and offer him a lift. After a while, the transport fails and the father goes to get help, trusting the stranger to look after his child. Alarmingly, the unknown man is not what he appears to be and the girl's life might be in danger.

This short film from India revolves around a plot that is often seen in the thriller and horror genre: people encountering strangers in the middle of nowhere and the strangers turn out to have bad intentions. After a frantic opening that shows the father desperately looking for his daughter, the film goes back to the joyful beginning, with father and child happily chatting while on the motorcycle. Things turn dark when the stranger walks off with the girl and from that point, the narrative alternates between the father searching for his daughter and herself facing a potentially life-threatening situation. A lot of tension is created and a great deal of drama too.

The plot is interesting and that might be the only thing that gives this short positive qualities. The music is probably the aspect that brings the film down the most. The score is either sweet or quite intense and it just never works, especially when it is intense, making the scenes hard to be taken seriously. Maybe it would had been better if there was no music at all.

Other elements that damage the film are awkward camera movements and editing that appears clumsy. The poor acting does not help either and the climactic ending is head-scratching to say the least.

On the positive side, the plot is intriguing and the script explores the tender relationship between the father and his daughter. The film also seems to suggest that even children can be strong and achieve great things. Nevertheless, all this is not enough to categorise this short thriller as decent due to the faults mentioned above.