Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 46
February 17, 2025
Black Warrant Series Review: Grey Tihar Tales in Color
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“Do you know that the judge breaks the nib of their pen after signing a black warrant?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
The second episode of the Netflix series Black Warrant opens with this intriguing question, posed to the protagonist during his interview for the position of jailer at Tihar. However, viewers don’t hear his answer until the climactic episode, by which point, they may have forgotten the interaction entirely. Yet, when it resurfaces, it brings the story full circle, smoothing out some of the creases in the show’s storytelling.
Created by Satyanshu Singh and Vikramaditya Motwane, Black Warrant spans seven episodes and is based on the non-fiction book Black Warrant: Confessions of a Tihar Jailer by Sunil Gupta, a jailer for 35 years, and journalist Sunetra Choudhury. The series, of course, adds its own fictional tweaks for the screen and stars Zahan Kapoor as the primary protagonist, Sunil Gupta. He begins his career as a jailer as a short, timid, clueless, and easily intimidated officer, alongside his new colleagues – Vipin Dahiya (Anurag Thakur), a short-tempered Haryanvi, and Shivraj Singh Mangat (Paramvir Cheema), a friendlier Punjabi. They are all mentored by the corrupt DSP Rajesh Tomar (Rahul Bhat), whose first words of wisdom to the newcomers are simple: trust nobody at Tihar. The series essentially tracks Gupta’s growth from a lamb heading to the slaughterhouse to becoming the guard of the slaughterhouse.
Gang wars, prison breaks, botched hangings, riots – each episode of Black Warrant explores the various challenges faced by Tihar jailers, with overcrowding and pathetic prison conditions being the least of their worries. Sunil Gupta emerges as the only jailer genuinely compassionate about the well-being of the undertrials, most of whom are poor scapegoats trapped in prison due to a lack of access to proper legal recourse.
A major sub-plot of Black Warrant delves into the kind of influence and free-run the notorious serial killer Charles Sobhraj (Sidhant Gupta) had in Tihar jail. However, Sidhant Gupta’s portrayal of the murderer famed for being charmingly deceptive, is glaringly devoid of any enigma. Charles’ scenes as a Tihar baddie are awkward, and feel unnecessary, despite him being a crucial aspect of the story.
What’s most interesting about Black Warrant is how the jail conditions makes you lose the sense of time. The prisoners could be in the 70s, or even 2000s, it doesn’t matter – jails are still as overcrowded and deplorable. However, the pace of the series wavers from being gritty to slow in the second half. A thin sub-plot about Sunil Gupta’s potential romance does little to add any excitement to his grim life as a jailer. A job that’s seen as unpleasant by his own family.
Zahan Kapoor’s performance is the protagonist is engaging, although his transformation from a meek outsider to an insider with his own ‘sources’ isn’t as powerful as one would hope. It’s the kind of role one could easily imagine several other Bollywood actors pulling off, like Vikrant Massey or Rajkummar Rao. But with Zahan Kapoor, there’s an element of ‘surprise’ for viewers, since he hasn’t done much work in the industry yet.
Overall, Black Warrant is an interesting drama, which feels scattered in parts, but delivers interesting glimpses into the closed world of Tihar jail.
Rating: 3.5 on 5 stars. Watch it on Netflix.
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February 16, 2025
Baban Baban Ban Vampire Episode 6 Review
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If you haven’t read the manga, we bet you didn’t see that cliffhanger coming in Baban Baban Ban Vampire Episode 5 – where Mr Sakamoto, the vampire-hunter/high-school teacher, asks Ranmaru Mori to drink his blood! At least not after all the passionate speeches he makes about wanting to protect his students from predatory vampires like Ranmaru.
Titled “A Vampire Put on the Spot,” episode 6 begins with a surprised Ranmaru struggling with Sakamoto on the floor of the bathhouse. Sakamoto launches into an explanation of his sudden change of heart, detailing his obsession with the vampire, though Ranmaru shows little interest in draining the teacher dry. The two find themselves in an awkward position when Rihito walks in on their standoff, turning the absurd situation into a comedic moment.
As if the love triangle between Ranmaru, Rihito, and Aoi wasn’t already enough to fuel misunderstandings and jealousies in Baban Baban Ban Vampire, viewers now get a fresh romantic twist – Sakamoto saving himself for the bloodthirsty vampire. In another hilarious turn, Franken mistakes Sakamoto for a creepy pedophile and challenges him to a physical match at school. It’s hard not to burst into laughter every time Franken calls him ‘creepy pedo’ in the series!
Beyond the comedy, this episode also delves into historical flashbacks of Ranmaru’s past. The vampire recalls his relationship with Sakamoto’s ancestor and how it ended in tragedy. The climactic moments of the episode reveal an unexpected pact between Franken and Sakamoto, while a new character briefly appears on screen. Will she add even more romantic confusion? We’ll have to wait and see.
Watch Baban Baban Ban Vampire on Netflix.
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Cassandra Review: The AI That Tucks You In… and Takes Over
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
When a family moves into what used to be Germany’s earliest smart-homes, they awaken Cassandra, a home-bot from the 70s who’s been asleep for decades in the abandoned house, but this time she is determined to be a lasting part of the family, and not someone who’ll be discarded…
Created by Benjamin Gutsche, the 2025 German thriller Cassandra stars Lavinia Wilson as the sinister titular character – the home robot who used to be human. Spanning six episodes, the series begins with a cold open: a flashback to the 1970s, where a family is lethally injured in a car crash while Cassandra, the robot, ominously looms over them on the road. Cut to the present, sometime in the 2020s – the Prill family moves into a remotely located smart home: artist mom Samira (Mina Tander), author dad David (Michael Klammer), their teen musician son Fynn (Joshua Kantara), and their cute little daughter Juno (Mary Tolle). The family relocate from Hamburg after a mysterious tragedy compels them to have a fresh start in the suburbs. Little do they know that more trouble awaits them in the swanky new “smart” home.
Cassandra’s primary target is Samira, the mother, whom she wants to replace in the Prill family. While Samira senses something off about the robot right from the start, the manipulative AI ensures everyone thinks she is losing her mind. And that’s the most frustrating bit about the six-episode series – how everybody prefers to take the AI’s word over Samira. If you’re in a new house, with a home-bot system whose reliability is dubious, any logical person’s first instinct should be to turn it off, especially if someone in the family thinks the system is a threat to their safety. Plus, the AI blaring an obnoxiously catchy ‘Good Morning’ song early in the morning, without your permission, should be a major red flag. But, maybe, as a viewer who has never had a robot do all their dishes, cooking, and the smallest errands, perhaps I am underestimating the lure of a robot slave.
The smart home in ‘Cassandra’ is an interesting blend of retro aesthetic blended with modern touch, and the creepy element comes in with tv screens everywhere, even in the bathroom (what’s up with that?!), for the AI AKA Cassandra to control every aspect of the place. From the doors, to the phone systems, she powers everything. Given that Cassandra was created in the 70s, the robot’s design is very basic, like a lump of tin, slightly resembling the robot from the 1960s animated show ‘The Jetsons’, but taller, and with a TV-screen for the head, where a human face (Lavinia Wilson) comes on to interact with people.
It’s super weird that the Prill family is very surprised at the interiors of their new home, as if nobody actually checked the property before buying it. This little impractical aspect of the plot drives quite a few twists in ‘Cassandra’, like the discovery of the home-bot itself, secret rooms, and a few other things. Samira discovers a few old photos of the original owners of her new house, and spots a woman who looks exactly like her AI Cassandra. Flashbacks in each episode reveal how Cassandra was a super-mom in the 70s, married to a scientist who built the smart-home and how everybody in the family ended up dying too soon. And unlike the 2023 techno-thriller ‘Margaux’, where an AI ‘Smart Home’ is completely malevolent and murderous for no real reason, Cassandra’s origin story helps explain a lot of her alarming behavioral quirks and her eerily human-like functioning. From her obsessive favoritism toward Juno to her unease over Fynn’s budding romance with a cute boy from school, every action is chillingly intentional.
Lavinia Wilson is the driving force of this series, portraying both AI Cassandra and the human version who appears in flashbacks. Child actor Mary Tolle is adorable as the impressionable Juno, who is instantly befriended by the AI – only to be manipulated into turning against her own mother. Mina Tander makes you root for Samira, the human mother desperately trying to hold on to her family as they slowly slip from her grasp under Cassandra’s influence. However, some of Samira’s decisions feel questionable, even frustrating at times. Michael Klammer’s David is one of the most insipid characters in the series, he has little personality, even though the creators try to portray him as the ‘hot author dad’.
Despite the many themes the show attempts to explore – including the Prill family’s way of coping with a disturbing tragedy – Cassandra ultimately boils down to a “human mom versus AI mom” showdown, as the eerie Cassandra aspires to become the Prill matriarch. While the pace of the show can be slow, the writers manages to slip in an unexpected violent twist now and then to jolt the viewers from becoming complacent.
Rating: 3 on 5 stars. Watch the series on Netflix.
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February 15, 2025
Sakamoto Days Episode 6 Review: Snipers and Paintball
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It continues to be an assassin’s parade at Taro Sakamoto’s store due to the insane bounty on his head. The latest in the long line of killers hoping to take down Mr. Sakamoto is a goofball sniper with a pet bird named Piisuke.
Titled Heisuke Mashimo, episode 6 of Sakamoto Days is named after the newest supporting character in the series and opens with his introduction. Heisuke is a homeless hitman, living in a tent with his bird, hoping to kill Taro Sakamoto for the 1 billion yen bounty on his head. He shows up at Sakamoto’s store and asks for Taro while Shin, Lu, and Taro are present. Heisuke, of course, has an old photo of Taro, so he doesn’t recognize the chubby version running the shop.
“This is the dumbest assassin I’ve ever met” is Shin’s first evaluation of Heisuke. The rest of the episode follows Heisuke’s attempt to find and murder Sakamoto, while the main characters decide to participate in a paintball competition to win prize money and fix the convenience store that’s constantly attacked by hitmen. In a comical twist, Heisuke ends up being part of the same paintball tournament, leading to an exciting showdown between the men. The action is exaggerated and totally engaging.
The episode provides some background on who Heisuke is, and the tone is largely comedic, with a pretty entertaining soundtrack this time around. Honestly, it washed away some of the disappointment from the last two episodes, which were slow-paced, not too hilarious, and deviated from the show’s primary focus – the chubby version of Sakamoto.
That said, some of us were hoping for more follow-up on the legendary hitman squad, ORDER, introduced in episode 5 and tasked with tracking down a notorious serial killer. It seems viewers will have to wait a bit longer for that subplot to unfold. In the meantime, Heisuke proves to be an amusing addition to the cast.
Watch ‘Sakamoto Days’ on Netflix.
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You’re Cordially Invited Review: Double-Booked Weddings with Half the Fun
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On a small beautiful island venue that can only host one wedding per weekend, problems ensue when two families find themselves double booked due to an unfortunate accident. First comes a war over who gets to stay, then a surprise compromise, only to lead to a lot of chaos.
Directed and written by Nicholas Stoller, the 2025 comedy You’re Cordially Invited stars Will Ferrell as overprotective dad Jim, who isn’t ready for his barely-out-of-college daughter Jenni’s (Geraldine Viswanathan) wedding, while Reese Witherspoon plays Margot, a busy L.A. entertainment executive determined to oversee her baby sister Neve’s (Meredith Hagner) marriage. Both weddings are set at the same venue due to a double-booking mishap, putting Jim and Margot on a warpath against each other to ensure their celebration is better.
You’re Cordially Invited is kind of like a mash-up of Father of the Bride and Bride Wars, although it’s nowhere near as funny as one would hope a Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon collaboration to be. At least, however, it is funnier than Reese’s 2023 romantic comedy Your Place or Mine. Amid their wedding feuds, Ferrell’s Jim struggles to come to terms with his daughter moving out of the nest, while Witherspoon’s Margot has a hard time blending in with her own family – she doesn’t get along with her mother or her two other siblings, and cannot even name her nephews/nieces. Amid all the wedding stress, there’s some passive romantic sparks flying between the clingy dad and bossy sister, although, the chemistry feels pretty off.
Some of the jokes centered around Jenni’s Gen Z group are pretty hilarious in the film, like one scene where Jim cannot believe that best woman Heather (Keyla Monterroso Mejia), who was supposed to organize everything, never called the venue to check things – due to social anxiety (a popular cliché that Gen Z hates making phone calls). “I can do anything that doesn’t require a phone call!” Heather screams in defense when Jim questions her for never calling the venue to follow up. Keyla Monterroso Mejia is pretty comical in her few scenes as Jenni’s BFF. However, the film gets pretty repetitive and monotonous midway and it was a challenge to keep watching it until the end.
Overall, You’re Cordially Invited has a few laughs here and there and is as predictable as it can be, so watch it only if you’re a big fan of Will Ferrell or Reese Witherspoon. Keep your expectations slightly low, and it might seem a lot more entertaining.
Rating: 2 stars on 5. Watch the film on Prime Video.
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February 14, 2025
Dhoom Dhaam Review: Pataka Bride & A Suhaag Raat on the Run
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Yami Gautam and Pratik Gandhi play Koyal Chadda and Veer Khurana, two clashing personalities who find themselves in a rushed arranged marriage after their family priest warns them that although their horoscopes match, they’ll have to wait two and a half years for an auspicious wedding date – unless they get married within two weeks.
Still essentially strangers on their wedding night, the nervous couple is in their suite when two armed men break into their hotel room, demanding they hand over ‘Charlie.’ What follows is a wild goose chase across Mumbai through the night as the couple scrambles to uncover the mystery behind Charlie, all while goons threaten to murder their families in the 2025 Bollywood movie Dhoom Dham.
Directed by Rishab Seth, who shares writing credits with Aarsh Vora and Aditya Dhar, Dhoom Dham is an interesting blend of action-thriller and romantic comedy. The movie opens with a lighthearted arranged marriage meeting between Koyal and Veer’s parents, where Koyal is introduced as a traditionally demure girl who has grown up studying in an all-girls school and college, while Veer appears to be a simple, shy veterinarian.
The two barely get a chance to interact privately before their wedding, so Veer is stunned to discover that Koyal is actually a trigger-happy, ass-kicking, car-racing, drink-chugging party girl when they find themselves being chased by armed men on their wedding night. With the bride saving the groom for most of the night, the dynamic is refreshing and fun to watch – except for some forced preachy monologues and emotional scenes that slow down what could have been a riotous entertainer.
For instance, about 30 minutes into Dhoom Dhaam, Yami Gautam’s Koyal delivers a Pyaar Ka Punchnama-style rant about how difficult it is to be a woman in India when Veer confronts her about lying about her lifestyle. The issue is that the story is set in Mumbai – one of the safest cities for a young, affluent woman like Koyal. Had it been set in a city like Delhi, her rant would have felt far more justified. Yami rants with full conviction, but it’s simply out of place. Regardless, Dhoom Dhaam is largely powered by the pataka bride, while Pratik Gandhi’s meek Veer, who has several phobias, entertainingly shoulders the problems of their chaotic night together.
There’s a surprise song-and-dance sequence in the second half of Dhoom Dhaam—a strip show meant for laughs—but the music composition just didn’t match the sass and hilarious tone of that section. Pratik Gandhi is probably not much of a dancer, because the choreography is extremely basic, and Yami’s Koyal drooling over his moves felt far too exaggerated. L-O-L. Flaws aside, the whole ‘innocent newlyweds spend their suhaag raat on the run’ is a fresh premise that should keep Bollywood fans amused until the end.
The supporting cast has very fleeting roles, so nobody makes a lasting impact on viewers – not even Eijaz Khan and Pavitra Sarkar, who play Sathe and Bhide, respectively, the two men primarily chasing the bride and groom on their wedding night for the mysterious Charlie. Koyal and Veer visit different acquaintances throughout the night in search of this ‘Charlie,’ resulting in comedic chaos. The climax is as filmy as a masala entertainer can get, but it would’ve been spicier if Koyal got to kick more ass.
Overall, Dhoom Dhaam isn’t the explosive action-thriller-rom-com it hopes to be, but it’s definitely a fun one-time watch if you have no plans for the weekend.
Rating: 3 on 5 stars. The film is on Netflix.
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February 13, 2025
Every Girl is the End of the World for Me: Book Review
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
The weirdest thing happened while reading Every Girl is the End of the World for Me by Jeffrey Brown – or rather, during the process of reading it. I started on a Tuesday night, planning to finish it before bed since it’s only 104 pages long. But less than halfway through, the cluttered black-and-white artwork (too many lines!) made me dizzy, so I called it a night.
I picked it up again on Thursday (the day I’m writing this review), and my Kindle opened to page 45, that’s over 40% of the graphic novel. And yet, I couldn’t remember a single thing about what had happened so far. Absolutely nothing. Except that the book was about the girls in his life – but not because I had read nearly half of it, just because that’s literally what the book is about.
Basically, this was so dull, so forgettable, that my brain completely erased any memory of reading it. I’m not sure whether to thank my subconscious for an excellent filter or worry that this is an early sign of dementia. LOL. Well, anyway… I really didn’t want to start over, so I just continued from page 45, hoping some parts of the story would come back to me. That finally happened around the 64% mark, when I came across a long, furious email exchange between Jeff, the protagonist, and an ex-girlfriend. They run into each other, spend some time together, kiss – but then she hooks up with someone else the next day.
The rest of the book follows Jeff as he tries to get over his ex and navigates interactions with a few other women, none of whom are particularly interesting. Unfortunately, the graphic novel just doesn’t live up to its title. None of the characters are memorable, and there’s very little sense of romance in the air. Add to that, I wasn’t a big fan of the artwork either. If I had to rate this book, I wouldn’t give it more than a 1 star on 5, but I don’t know, maybe this was just not meant for me.
The book is also on Kindle Unlimited.
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Your Sky Review: Like 2Gether But 2Harebrained
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The 2020 GMMTV Thai series ‘2Gether’ starring Win Metawin Opas-iamkajorn, and Bright Vachirawit Chivaaree was about two college kids fake-dating so that one of them can keep an obsessive crush at bay, although they fall for each other for real. It wasn’t even the first romance around ‘fake dating’ and certainly nowhere near the last, but one of the earlier gay romances with such a plot. Now, the 2025 series ‘Your Sky’ has the same plot, except that it’s way slower, dumber, and boring.
Directed by Kla Nathawat Piyanonpong (‘Naughty Babe’/‘To Be Continued’), Your Sky is adapted from a novel of the same name and stars Kong Kongpob Jirojmontri as the lead protagonist, Teerak, a baby-faced first-year college student who begins fake-dating his senior, Muenfah (Thomas Teetut Chungmanirat), to escape the relentless advances of his wealthy, overly persistent senior, Oh Atthiphong Wongnithi (Mike Chinnarat Siriphongchawalit), who just won’t take no for an answer. Oh, and Muenfah also happens to be the older brother of Teerak’s best-friend, so the two of them have a hard time convincing everybody that they really are in love. But as they spend more time on fake dates, they fall in love for real. Obviously.
Spanning a snooze-y 12 episodes, half the series revolves around Teerak and Muenfah learning how to act like a couple – meant to be funny but mostly just painfully annoying. Take, for instance, a scene where they decide to practice holding hands, only to awkwardly place them on the table like they’re about to arm-wrestle. Some of the funnier moments in the show are generated by Teerak’s protective elder sister Babe, who is ready to slay anybody who hurts her brother. Although it’s strange how she never has a face-off with Oh Atthiphong Wongnithi, who is constantly harassing her baby brother.
The creators treat Teerak like a 12-year-old boy figuring out how to interact with other humans. If this were a high school drama, it might have been cute, but in Your Sky, it’s just dull and unfunny. Thomas Teetut Chungmanirat is very good-looking as Muenfah, but the script is so lack-luster, that I really couldn’t make out if his range as an actor is limited, or it’s just the uninspiring direction.
Meanwhile, Oh Atthiphong Wongnithi is a caricature of a villain – the stereotypical rich college senior who, in the very first episode, tries to get poor Teerak drunk at his birthday party to take advantage of him. Of course, Muenfah just happens to be there and swoops in to save his best friend’s younger brother from Oh’s predatory clutches. Yeah, Your Sky is as cliched as romantic cliches can get.
So if you’re looking for a harebrained romance with cute-ish college students, maybe give this series a chance.
Your Sky is available on iQIYI.
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Honeymoon Crasher Review: Wacky Mom-Son Vacay Frenzy
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Indian viewers will remember how, in the 2014 hit Queen, Kangana Ranaut’s character went on her honeymoon to Paris alone after her fiancé dumped her two days before their wedding. Why waste an expensive vacation, right? Well, in the 2025 French comedy Honeymoon Crasher (Lune de miel avec ma mère), Julien Frison’s Lucas takes a similar approach – but with an unexpected plus-one. After being left at the altar, he brings his mother, Lily (Michèle Laroque), on his honeymoon to Mauritius. But in a bizarre twist, to take full advantage of the honeymoon package benefits, Lily lets the resort manager believe she and Lucas are a married couple. This little deception lands them a free upgrade to a luxurious suite with a stunning ocean view. The result? A weird, weird comedy filled with unfunny poop jokes, awkward dance face-offs, and a surprisingly wholesome ending.
Directed by Nicholas Cuche, Honeymoon Crasher kicks off with a church wedding, where Lucas is ready to marry his fiancée. Just as she’s about to say “I do,” her ex-boyfriend calls, and she runs off, leaving Lucas humiliated. The ensuing chaos isn’t as hilarious as the filmmakers intend, though it does manage to be mildly comedic.
Michèle Laroque is effortlessly entertaining as Lily, Lucas’ overenthusiastic mother, who initially jokes about joining him on the honeymoon but ends up tagging along for real. Having spent her life as a devoted wife and mother, she has never been on an international vacation since getting married. While Lucas is heartbroken, Lily is thrilled to be at a scenic beach resort. Rossy de Palma plays Gloria, the resort manager who misinterprets their relationship and is delighted to see a young man with a much older wife. In celebration of their “unique” love story, she grants them the fanciest suite in the resort, complete with VIP perks – including a private chef. The mother and son must keep up the charade, leading to several comedic situations, and a choppy pace.
Julien Frison delivers a hit-or-miss performance as Lucas, an overgrown mama’s boy in complete denial about his dependence on his parents. While he finds it deeply unsettling to pretend he’s married to his mother just for a better hotel room, Lily has the time of her life enjoying vacation activities. It’s Michèle Laroque’s effortless charm and confidence that prevent the film’s awkward premise from veering into outright discomfort. As expected, mother and son argue and clash, but they also find ways to reconnect and bond by the end.
A minor romantic subplot follows Lucas’ interest in Maya (Margot Bancilhon), a local tour guide. While it starts off as a cliché, the film thankfully avoids a conventional rom-com conclusion. However, one of the most uncomfortable moments comes early on when Lucas asks to take a picture with Maya for social media and then proceeds to hold her without permission. The film acknowledges Maya’s discomfort but bizarrely frames the moment as comedic. Not cool. Luckily for Lucas, Maya eventually warms up to him -though his behavior in their first interaction was borderline harassment.
Despite the romantic angle, Honeymoon Crasher remains primarily about Lucas and Lily’s evolving relationship as they confront some hard truths. Of course, since this is a comedy, it never dives too deep into Lucas’ mommy issues or Lily’s overbearing tendencies. Instead, the film wraps up on a lighthearted, feel-good note, giving both characters a satisfying resolution.
Rating: 5/10. The film is streaming on Netflix.
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February 12, 2025
The Death of Ivan Ilyich: Book Review
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“Always the same. Now a spark of hope flashes up, then a sea of despair rages, and always pain; always pain, always despair, and always the same.”
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy is the kind of literary work that might have stirred great admiration in me as a literature student back in my college days. But reading it in 2025, far removed from the idealism of college life, this little novella about the futility of living a “proper” life felt like reading just another extended rumination on someone’s existential crisis. That said, Tolstoy’s ruminations have a philosophical depth which keeps you turning the page, even though the ideas seem familiar. If you’re in the blush of youth (in your early 20s or younger), it’s best to read this book now rather than leaving it for later in life. Although, perhaps, it might have a different kind of resonance with older readers, depending on their past readings, of course.
Less than 100 pages long, The Death of Ivan Ilyich follows the life and death of its protagonist, Ivan Ilyich, a senior judge in Moscow. The novella opens with the announcement of his death, and those connected to him seem more interested in how his demise benefits them. Ivan’s colleagues and juniors eye the vacancy of his high-ranking post, while his wife is relieved to receive a pension without having to deal with the “old crone” anymore. Only Ivan’s young son, still in school, truly grieves his father’s passing.
But soon, The Death of Ivan Ilyich rewinds time, introducing Ivan as a young man and tracing his rise through the legal ranks. Born into a wealthy family, he is the middle child, less successful than his older brother but far more accomplished than the youngest. He lives as expected, securing the right education, attaining the right job, marrying the right woman, and settling into the bourgeois life modeled by those around him.
This is my first time reading Tolstoy, and his style reminded me a little of Fyodor Dostoevsky, a contemporary of his. Although Tolstoy doesn’t ramble or ruminate too much through his characters in the text, which could also be because this is a small novella. The Death of Ivan Ilyich, at its core, is about a man with a chronic illness who fears his approaching death and realizes how futile his perfect life seems in retrospect. He despises his wife, Praskovya, a materialistic woman consumed by socializing and spending his money, although he himself is quite the same. To escape from his wife’s nagging, Ivan immerses himself in work or card games with colleagues, maintaining the facade of a content domestic life – even convincing himself that everything is as it should be. But in his final days, as his illness worsens and the certainty of death looms, he begins to question the way he lived, growing increasingly desperate and hopeless. Tolstoy clearly intended for readers to draw deeper philosophical conclusions, as he weaves in quite a bit of religious chatter through the book towards the climax – but this is my simpler take.
Rating: 3 on 5.
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