REVIEW: Sister Midnight – A dark comedy with a splash of madness and an excellent soundtrack

By VIEWdigital reviewer Conor Pelan

Written and directed by Karan Kandhari, Sister Midnight is a dark comedy, Wes Anderson-style film, that explores a descent into madness. From the onset of the film, we see Uma, played by Radhika Apte, in a strange array, suffocated within just the first week of marriage to her husband, Gopal, played by Ashok Pathak. This early glimpse of her distress foreshadows the deeper turmoil she is about to experience.

The film’s almost sepia-like, oversaturated color tones, combined with occasional film noir-esque shadowing, effectively capture the vibrant, bustling, and shadowy atmosphere of Mumbai, where the story is set. The lack of dialogue, especially in the beginning, paired with the intense color palette, heightens the feeling of paranoia. The characters’ silence and stillness, in contrast to the chaotic city around them, suggest an early surrender to the suffocating pressures of their environment.

The soundtrack is an excellent choice, blending Western 20th-century music with traditional Indian songs. This musical fusion mirrors India’s current cultural landscape, balancing rural superstitions and rich food traditions with modern influences like skin whitening and Wall Street-style business practices.

The film poignantly depicts the class divide — from the cramped shack the newlyweds live in, the poor sanitary conditions, and the lack of proper medical facilities, to the long, grueling commutes and the stark contrast with high-end businesses raking in huge profits.

Uma’s descent into madness becomes a symbol of all these struggles, and through her, the audience witnesses the grotesque expectations placed on everyday working-class people.

However, Sister Midnight would benefit from more backstory to deepen the audience’s connection to the characters. The film’s pacing, with its frequent starts and stops, made it feel longer than it actually was, and the ending felt unsatisfying, lacking a true culmination of events. Perhaps that’s the point — emphasising the maddening futility of these characters’ lives in a world that neither makes sense nor tries to.

The film is undeniably powerful, but at times, it leans too heavily on style at the expense of substance.

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