4 SUM
by Neeraj Gwal
REVIEW
“Don’t walk in front of me… I may not follow; Don’t walk behind me… I may not lead; Walk beside me… just be my friend”
Albert Camus
The city we live in, our friends, the school we attend... The most crucial details that shape our culture and lifestyle. There is an essential saying: "Geography is destiny". 4 SUM is a movie that takes these concepts into focus and explains the consequences of bad habits and wrong choices.
Too long and uninterrupted opening scenes can sometimes damage the film. It is not very correct to do this without reaching a particular experience. At the beginning of the movie, the images that appear with a fixed camera move into the house to introduce the house and the characters more intimately. Generally, this method was also used in the film. The current camera is fixed in the corner of the room, then becomes mobile again when there is movement. This is a very risky choice. Using such a method without the right equipment and team can cause problems.
Cinematographically, the most critical problem in the film is that some fixed camera shots take too long. The fluency of the film suffers in this sense. The main problem of the actual camera scenes is the need to take actual images, bringing editing difficulties. In this sense, continuity errors, close-up image deficiencies in speech and similar problems immediately draw attention. In addition, after a while, it gives an impression like blog narration or documentary narration.
Voice recordings were taken very cleanly. This is one of the strengths of the movie. A natural atmosphere was created without the need for unnecessary music or background sounds. Some of the details in the movie are also impressive. The way of life of the people in India where the film is set is beautifully depicted. Family relationships, buildings, and houses are shown as they are. The t-shirt that the drug dealer wore as a reference to popular culture was a lovely detail.
Obviously, all of the events in the film could be narrated as a 30-35 minute short film. Some scenes are taken too long and do not serve the purpose. Of course, these works of young producers who have a limited budget but want to achieve important works with an amateur spirit should be evaluated carefully. We definitely evaluated the film using this point of view. Addressing a social issue is an important task. The film carries this task it undertakes in the sense of a social message and does its job well. However, as the language of cinema, the director has a long way to go. We wish him success.
AIFF