Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Naught Moses There really are films we should see every now and again to regain our actual sense of the way things are behind all the window dressing we build around our perceptions to try to make them fit our requirements and expectations. To call the story told largely without resort to dialogue, but very much with non-verbal sounds, visual imagery, including body postures and facial expressions, "stunning" is far from adequate. But the most honest thing one may be able to say about Satyajit Ray's tour de force is that although it should be required viewing for virtually everyone who takes their automobile, their computer, their cell phone, their paid vacation, and their "right" to "live as they choose" for granted... only those who know the Yogic Hindu and Pali Cannon Buddhist "way" will likely "get it." For this is not only The Way Life Is for half the world's (over-) population even 60 years after it was first screened, this is proof that all our "stuff" is just that, regardless of how effectively it lulls us into our (supposedly) painkilling trance.

valadas A real masterpiece indeed in every aspect: atmosphere, interpretation, dramatic stoutness of the plot and a remarkable gallery of authentic characters. In West Bengal (India) a poor family lives in a rural village: father, mother, son, daughter and an old almost invalid aunt. Money is scarce and debts pour. The father decides to leave for the city to get a better job. Daily life is shown in a very realistic detailed way. Everything is really dramatic and tragedy ends by falling upon the rest of the family, pushing the man who had come back meanwhile to leave the village and head for the city with his family. This is one of those movies you must decidedly not to miss.

Scott44 Pather Panchali (1955, Satyajit Ray​), a study of childhood​, is one of the greatest films of all time. Widely regarded as India's best movie, it is a major cultural landmark. It made an instant superstar out of Satyajit Ray. Despite the frequency of scenes depicting mundane life for a family of four peasants in India, "Pather Panchali" really packs an emotional punch.It is based on Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel. Apu (Subir Banerjee), a young boy, is the protagonist. In one of his earliest scenes, we wonder if he will wake up to face the day. Apu has a naughty older sister Durga (Uma Das Gupta). Durga's habitual lying and stealing causes conflicts with the neighbors. Sarbojaya Ray (Karuna Bannerjee), mother of Apu and Dirga, is frustrated with her daughter's ways but must defend her from accusation. The patriarch, Harihar Ray (Kanu Bannerjee) is emotionally distant from the troubles of the other three family members. He's a priest earning meager wages during the work day. At night he cheerfully writes poetry, plays and stories with the optimism his artistry can wipe out his family's debt. Indir Thakrun (Chunibala Devi) is the very old (80) aunt who also annoys the matriarch. The needy old woman is the picture of misery. (While Chunibala Devi died before the film was released, Ray had visited her and showed her an early version.)"Pather Panchali" was controversial at the time for its unflinching depiction of villagers experiencing bone-crushing poverty. Destitution is weighing everyone down, like gravity. There are scenes where characters eat rice with their fingers from a bowl on the floor and it feels like you have been transported to rural India. Yet the peasants are mostly stoic, and inspiring for how they generally cope with their burdens.Two performances really strike a chord. Karuna Bannerjee as the beleaguered, fatigued mother trying to discipline as well as hold her family together is amazing to watch. When she mentions during one moment of despair that she used to have dreams of a better life it really pulls heartstrings. Uma Das Gupta as Apu's naughty sister Dirga is also very memorable. The mother and daughter roles are both exquisitely realized. The 34-year-old novice director (Satyajit Ray) started his career at a very elite level.Ray begins the film with many scenes that are dark, even though the family seems to be prospering. When Fate has dealt the family a bad hand, the scenes are well lit and occasionally, in deep focus. The lighting pattern is counter to how many filmmakers would have approached the material. In addition, the conclusion is foreshadowed. Notice how often one character seems to occasionally stumble or falter. Regarding the music, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar​'s score adds authenticity and depth to the narrative. Shankar's music is very highly regarded among film critics. It also inspired George Harrison about a decade later.For those who see "Pather Panchali" on the big screen, expect to emerge from the theater a changed and wiser person. Satyajit Ray demonstrates the world is available to a young artist who hasn't given his soul to the dark side.

ozjeppe Authentic account of the life of a poor, rural Indian family's life and hardships during a few year's time. Universal in theme but doesn't really get gripping until the final 15 min's during a memorable rain storm. Feels almost like a student project in its utter simplicity, technical limitations and primitive montage storytelling... which at times makes it a bit hard to follow in exactly what's going on (some bits are just frame filling and have no cause-and-effect whatsoever). I read after watching it that the father is a priest, and that it's supposed to be set in the early 1900's... gee - good to know, because the movie itself certainly doesn't tell me so! But most of the time it's just unclear if we have a main character: The mother? The daughter? No, apparently (again, after reading more about it afterward) it's supposed to be Apu, the son - which is weird since he honestly doesn't get more attention - OR personal character development than anyone else!I badly want to be more generous (like when you have to be nice about commenting a small kid's poor, ugly doodle drawings) because of its earnestness and alleged historical influence/importance to Indian cinema. But I can't - because it's simply not good enough. It's more an exotic rarity/half-documentary than being a particularly good movie. Do I feel like watching the sequels? Not much.4/10 from Ozjeppe.