Written by Maria Manuella Pache de Athayde
70/100
7 Days is Roshan Sethi’s feature directorial debut in which he also serves as a writer alongside Karan Soni. This movie is almost a cross between Two Night Stand(2014) and Shiva Baby(2021) minus the sex and shiva. But in this case our protagonists Ravi(Karan Soni) and Rita(Geraldine Viswanathan) are set up on a date by their parents with the hope that it will end in marriage. While on their date the unthinkable happens and they are forced to shelter in place, at Rita’s house, while Ravi figures out a way to get home. One day turns into two, then three, and so on and the story starts to gain momentum.
Fundamentally, 7 Days explores the story of polar opposites who are confined to live, learn, and loosen up until restrictions are lifted. It is here that we get to learn more about our protagonists and who they truly are. We have Ravi, a researcher at a university, who is a Type-A clean freak, that tries to uphold traditional Indian values to please his mother and keeps track of various dates on his marriage spreadsheet. In turn, we have Rita, a painter, who is currently unemployed and nothing like she appears when she first met Ravi. Rita is much more laid back. She is also in charge of her own sexuality and much less robotic than Ravi. But beneath this seemingly strong exterior Rita struggles to live up to her mother’s standards who claims no man will love the real you. This relationship between parents and adult children was an interesting addition to the movie as our characters navigate various interpersonal circumstances as they remained confined.
As time progresses and somewhat unknowingly Ravi and Rita start to build a playful rapport and, at times, even confide in each other. Rita teaches Ravi to loosen up a bit. While Ravi teaches her to cook. There are several bumps along the way which you’ll have to tune in to tune in to find out. Production wise this movie really benefits from occurring in a singular location and focusing on the protagonists’ journeys instead. There is nothing here that will blow your mind but it is definitely worth a watch.
7 Days Clip
7 Days is currently streaming as part of the Tribeca 2021 Film Festival thru Tribeca at Home(available only in the USA). Further Distribution TBD.
Recommended.
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