Ship of Theseus follows questions of identity, justice, beauty, meaning and death through the story of an experimental photographer, an ailing monk and a young stockbroker. See the film to discover by yourself.
It is, no doubt, an intellectual exercise, the sort festival films often indulge in. Yet, the narrative is lucid, and the stories are simple and deeply moving.
An intellectual, contemplative film, although its occasional tendency to take its abstract ideas on the nature of self-identity and wrap them into neat plot twists can mildly disappoint.
Ship of Theseus can be didactic as it nudges audiences toward environmental harmony and economic justice, but it's never preachy or sanctimonious. The credit for that balanced tone goes to its actors, who put real people at the core of these moral tales.
Ship of Theseus, a striking first feature by Anand Gandhi, a Mumbai-born playwright, tells three parallel stories of organ transplants and the ethical, personal, religious and economic decisions behind each instance.
It's an ambitious outing for a first-time feature and, despite some unadventurous editing and an occasionally too-talky script, young playwright-turned-filmmaker Anand Gandhi should be commended for his commitment to intellectual truth-seeking.
