Chitra Sutram (2010) aka The Image Threads

More than anything else, The Image Threads is something new. Vipin Vijay's first feature film is in a class of its own, it is one of those films that will polarize even the most dedicated cinephiles, but no one can deny that this is a fresh and exciting new vision. Vijay really has no contemporaries to compare to, and perhaps his only predecessor is Parajanov. The Image Threads is an elliptical narrative involving a computer science professor, the various women he has cybersex with, and his wicked sorcerer grandfather. The digital world is a realm of magic; Vijay draws upon traditional mythology and folklore, as well as metaphysical philosophies of reincarnation and rebirth. This fantastic romance plays out against some jaw-dropping set pieces. Vijay's compositions are rich in color and exotic design, and nothing short of surreal. His combination of science fiction and fantasy is not altogether out of place; India is the birthplace of binary code, and has been at the forefront of the digital revolution, and the fluid and ever transforming nature of digital technology is very much in line with the nature of Indian mythology. But ultimately, this is a film about the human desire to connect, and the difficulties of doing so. There is genuine melancholic pathos here. But if there is one problem, it is that the film becomes bogged down in its own experimental nature at times, and is perhaps too heady and esoteric. Vijay sacrifices a certain level of emotional involvement to the film's overall detriment. Still, The Image Threads is one of the most original and daring films in recent memory, and deserves wider exposure.