Movie Review: Last Film Show

Filmmakers around the world are nothing if not consistent in their belief in the magic of movies, as evidenced by the countless films about films that have been made. Indian director Pan Nalin (Samsara) has decided to add his name to the list with his semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story Last Film Show. Interestingly though, this movie seems to be more enamored with physical film itself rather than the movies recorded on it.

Nine-year-old Samay (Bhavin Rabari) lives with his family in Chalala, a poor village in India. His father (Dipen Raval), who runs a chai tea stand at the train station, is a stern man who one day takes his family into town to see a movie, breaking his own rule against them. Samay is instantly taken by what he sees, and takes particular notice of the beam of light above their heads transmitting the pictures to the screen. He begins skipping school to sneak back to the theater, eventually befriending the projectionist Fazal (Bhavesh Shrimali), who lets him watch the movies from his booth and teaches him how the machines operate.

Samay begins to try to harness light to create his own projector with the help of his friends so they can display snippets of discarded film he takes from the theater. His father is angry with him for skipping so much school, but his mother (Dipen Raval) is more sympathetic towards him. As the year goes on, the boys get closer to projecting movies themselves, while India begins to see film projection replaced with digital and an era draws to a close.

Nalin’s love for his characters is only exceeded by his love towards the medium of film, and it is delightful watching Samay and his friends on their adventures. Rabari is a find in the lead role and hopefully will have a long career ahead of him. Beautiful shots of the Indian countryside are interspersed with credibly naturalistic moments that capture the joy of childhood so well it’s hard not to have a smile throughout much of Last Film Show. It may take its adoration of reel-to-reel film a little too seriously, especially during a lengthy sequence showing what happens to it after it’s been discarded that breaks up the momentum, but this is otherwise a real treat, and is certain to be a favorite among cinéastes for a long time to come. ★★★★