SXSW 2024: Dandelion, A Nice Indian Boy, I Don’t Understand You, I Love You Forever | Festivals & Awards


Without spoiling anything, Dandelion has to find the creative courage within herself. Casey may have helped light the match for her fire to burn, but the brilliant screenwriting element of the back half of this movie is that Riegel never lets it become just another story of how a woman needs a man to inspire her. When Dandelion finally reaches a song that feels like it’s truly, finally, expressing her voice, it’s one of the most moving moments you’ll see in a film this year.

One doesn’t need press notes to sense that Roshan Sethi’s “A Nice Indian Boy” is personal for its creator too. A lot of films at SXSW this year felt like political statements, but Sethi’s film feels more like a call of kindness in this world. It is a remarkably sweet film, the kind of nice comedy that feels increasingly hard to make well in a landscape when so many films come with cynical agendas. It is sometimes disappointingly sitcom-ish in its structure and visuals, but the amount of love that Sethi and writer Eric Randall (working from a play by Madhuri Shkar) have for these characters is obvious and contagious. You’ll grow to love them too.

Naveen (a gentle and genuine Karan Soni) is a doctor who struggles to meet the right guy. He’s tired of going to Indian weddings while being nowhere near scheduling his own. His sister Arundhathi (Sunita Mani) is married, which has made his parents Megha (Zarna Garg) and Archit (Harish Patel) very happy. Naveen meets a photographer named Jay (Jonathan Groff), who seems almost like his opposite in terms of personality, but the extrovert and the introvert find love, and eventually Naveen gets the wedding of his dreams.

That’s about it. And that’s all it needs to be. There’s a simple sweetness to “A Nice Indian Boy” that’s charming, largely due to the fact that everyone involved seems to be on the same page. Groff is always a welcome presence in just about anything, and the typically supporting Soni proves he can carry a film. Even the parent roles that usually come off as two-dimensional feel different in Garg and Patel’s hands. The fact that Naveen’s parents put on Out TV in an effort to understand their son could fit on a network sitcom, but the team here somehow makes it work. It’s because this is a film that deeply loves its characters, and while I think there’s a version that takes a few more risks and has a bit more visual confidence, it’s impossible to deny that this film lives up to its title by simply being so very “nice.”

You can view the original article HERE.

Kim Zolciak, Kroy Biermann Told by Cops to Stay Away From Each Other
Kim Zolciak, Kroy Biermann Told by Cops to Stay Away From Each Other
The joy of the celebrity look-alike contest
The joy of the celebrity look-alike contest
Private Investigators Approaching TikTokers About Celebrities Connected to Diddy
Private Investigators Approaching TikTokers About Celebrities Connected to Diddy
Phaedra Parks Reacts to MAGA ‘Housewives’ Idea, Would Be ‘Very Volatile’
Phaedra Parks Reacts to MAGA ‘Housewives’ Idea, Would Be ‘Very Volatile’
'Bad Sisters' Exclusive Clip – Wednesday November 20th Episode
'Bad Sisters' Exclusive Clip – Wednesday November 20th Episode
Tokyo International Film Festival 2024: Daihachi Yoshida on Prize-Winning “Teki Cometh” | Festivals & Awards
Tokyo International Film Festival 2024: Daihachi Yoshida on Prize-Winning “Teki Cometh” | Festivals & Awards
Denzel Washington Says Is Playing Robert McCall in Two New Sequels to ‘The Equalizer’
Denzel Washington Says Is Playing Robert McCall in Two New Sequels to ‘The Equalizer’
How Does Gryla’s Plan Turn Out?
How Does Gryla’s Plan Turn Out?
Zayn Reunites With One Direction at Liam Payne’s Painful Funeral
Zayn Reunites With One Direction at Liam Payne’s Painful Funeral
There is money being made in live music – give it back out to the people
There is money being made in live music – give it back out to the people
Diddy Accused of Witness Tampering, Intimation from Jail
Diddy Accused of Witness Tampering, Intimation from Jail
Lambrini Girls share frenetic new single ‘Love’ and announce UK album launch in-store shows
Lambrini Girls share frenetic new single ‘Love’ and announce UK album launch in-store shows
Skenes’ rookie award traps Pirates in uncomfortable situation
Skenes’ rookie award traps Pirates in uncomfortable situation
Jones: McCarthy hasn’t lost Cowboys’ locker room
Jones: McCarthy hasn’t lost Cowboys’ locker room
49ers’ Purdy day-to-day with shoulder soreness
49ers’ Purdy day-to-day with shoulder soreness
Report: Giants benching Jones, DeVito expected to be named starter
Report: Giants benching Jones, DeVito expected to be named starter
The Untold Story’ Trailer Unearths the Dark Crimes Behind the Scenes
The Untold Story’ Trailer Unearths the Dark Crimes Behind the Scenes
Is the ‘Friday Night Lights’ Reboot Necessary?
Is the ‘Friday Night Lights’ Reboot Necessary?
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 7 Round Table: Did Carisi Go Too Far?
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 7 Round Table: Did Carisi Go Too Far?
‘Yellowstone’ Director & Star Address Angry Fans Who Feel “Cheated”
‘Yellowstone’ Director & Star Address Angry Fans Who Feel “Cheated”
Meredith Marks Loves Caviar, Jewelry, & Being On Time!
Meredith Marks Loves Caviar, Jewelry, & Being On Time!
Charli XCX Takes Over Times Square With H&M
Charli XCX Takes Over Times Square With H&M
What Brought Marc Jacobs and Law Roach to SNL?
What Brought Marc Jacobs and Law Roach to SNL?
Parties, Parties, Parties! MOTHER Denim’s Saloon, Only Natural Diamonds’ Chic Dinner, & More!
Parties, Parties, Parties! MOTHER Denim’s Saloon, Only Natural Diamonds’ Chic Dinner, & More!