Whisper Of The Ink

Directed by Ishtiyak Ahmad Ziad, Whisper Of The Ink deals with the consequences of what happens when you risk everything just to ask for help.

In Bangladesh where from June 6th to August 5th 2024 they experienced state brutality when protests formed demanding reforms to the discriminatory job quota system. with 300 deaths including children and more than 20 '000 injuries and the arrests of 11'000. From July 16th till the 28th they imposed complete Internet shutdown isolating the people preventing them from spreading the word as they tried to eliminate the movement.

When the couple Rashed (Avik Talukdar), who is an artist, creates protest paintings, posting them online, alongside his pregnant wife Runa (Sanzida Sorna) discuss what good just drawing cartoons and posting them on Facebook does for the campaign. Cut between real news footage it's stark,the realism that hits the viewer that this is going on around them at this very moment. You the viewer get a sense of longing from Runa who wishes to be more active on the protest front but due to being pregnant. A scary time to live in hoping for your unborn child that things will get better and that their loved ones will be safe.

When an emergency happens when Runa's water breaks, the curfew set by the government has a great knock on effect. They cannot leave, they cannot get help, they are truly stranded having to deal with this stressful situation or face the possibility of arrest or death. When the husband desperately decides to try to leave to get someone to help,he suffers great consequences from the government.

Filmed in black and white which is a perfect choice for setting the tone. It's dark, depressing which is what the subject matter that's being discussed is dealing with. It would be too stark of a shift if it was filmed with bright colours and whimsy. It's such a powerful cinematic experience, to show that humans are strong and resilient when faced with trying times.

The performances by both leads were so strong and believable. You really felt you were in those claustrophobic restraints of their apartment with a war on the doorstep. The wife's performance when going into labour is so realistic and raw you feel the need to survive from her. With a cliffhanger ending leaving the viewer to run with their imagination of what would happen next. Quite a tragic bleak ending.

Whisper Of The Ink moves the audience in a deep profound way, leaving the viewer with a lot to sink in. It's important that it is heard and that events like these are projected and don't get forgotten.