Three of Us Review – Him, Her, and a Childhood Lost
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
For those living in big, crowded cities like Mumbai, where it’s easy to disappear into the sea of people, many often long to slow down, take a break, and breathe a little. Avinash Arun’s film “Three of Us” dwells on that longing, the need to go back to a nostalgic childhood place where harsh realities of life hadn’t soiled the joy of little pleasures yet. So, it’s slow, maybe even meandering, making you wonder why the protagonist is filled with an ache for memories she abandoned almost three decades ago, until a revelation makes you join the dots and see things in fresh light.
Directed by Avinash Arun, who has co-written the story with Omkar Achyut Barve and Arpita Chatterjee, “Three of Us” is about a woman with dementia visiting a Konkan town with her husband, where she reconnects with old friends and school memories. Shefali Shah plays the primary protagonist, Shailaja Desai, who quits her job at the divorce division of the family court in Mumbai after being diagnosed with early-onset dementia. Swanand Kirkire is Shailaja’s husband Dipankar Desai, who sells insurance and is a complete sport when she suggest they make a week-long impromptu trip to Vengurla, a charming beach town along the Maharashtra coast. In Vengurla, Shailaja’s seeks out her classmate Pradip Kamat (Jaideep Ahlawat), who is pleasantly surprised to re-unite with his childhood crush after decades of being ghosted.
On the surface, “Three of Us” might seem like a tale about Shailaja reconnecting with her childhood sweetheart before she forgets everything, but it’s a slow-burn story of a woman trying to find a lost part of herself – her carefree days of being a happy school-girl before an unfortunate event changed everything. Shefali Shah is eerily childlike as Shailaja, her smile too honest, and her trepidation over being judged as ‘weird’ (ajeeb) very relatable. Shefali makes Shailaja’s joy at being back in a town which holds precious memories extremely palpable, it’s as if Shailaja isn’t just back to old haunts, but also almost reverts to her girlhood, before adult burdens bore her down. If Shailaja’s character is like a flower attempting to bloom, Swanand Kirkire’s portrayal of her husband, Dipankar, is like a pot that provides her support. Jaideep Ahlawat is awkwardly likable as Pradip Kamat, a bank manager with a literary bent, who writes poetry whenever he feels inspired. Pradip’s easy loving relationship with his wife Sarika (Kadambari Kadam) was a breath of fresh air from the usual bittersweet portrayals of onscreen married couples. The two are transparent, communicative, and trusting of each other.
The cinematography lucidly captures the charms of coastal Maharashtra towns, from its temples, beaches, old forgotten homes, to imposing historical forts, and colorful fairs. Avinash Arun and the team let ambient sounds of waves, birds, and wind dominate the background, instead of filling it with musical flourishes, and it works for this ruminative slice-of-life story. There’s a subtle touch of magical realism in “Three of Us,” at least that’s my interpretation of a scene where Shailaja engages in a conversation with an elderly woman rumored to be a witch in her childhood. The exchange between the aging destitute woman and Shailaja is remarkably poetic and philosophical, almost too ethereal to be genuine. It’s tempting to view the entire sequence as a manifestation of the character’s fragile mind.
While the climax of “Three of Us” feels abrupt, it provides a poetic closure for Shailaja. In the closing minutes, she bravely expresses and confronts her fears, bidding farewell to a painful memory that would eventually be consumed by her dementia.
Rating: 8 on 10. You can stream “Three of Us” on Netflix.
Read Next: Good Grief Review – Where Art Heals…
Also Read: The Ruins Book Review – Vine-tastic Horrors (Audio Version Below)
