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Introduction –
Unlike feature films or web episodes, short films are most gratifying when the theme, the subject complements the mood. Take for instance this particular film. It would make sense to view when you are wrapped in nostalgia or when you want to be alone and in your own company.
Synopsis –
The film opens up to a railway crossing ( Level Crossing ) monitored by a 55 year old railway employee. He is busy stacking playing cards in a pyramid form. He’s just about managed to complete the task when the buzzer inside the small control room echoes. The old man ( Flagman ) resets a couple of switches. It activates the barriers, lowering them on both the sides of tracks, preventing vehicles from crossing.
Flagman back inside his booth
Minutes later when the tracks are devoid of any activity, the flagman returns inside his booth / room and sees the card fallen all over the place due to the rumble caused by the fast moving train. The next few hours are spent eating lunch, listening to radio, checking books and a siesta which ends abruptly when the flagman hears noise from across the room. He steps out and sees a 10 year old lad, setting up metal coins on the tracks, to get them flattened.
Minuscule twist in the plot
The scene evolves and the inside of the control room echoes with the loud buzzer. Once again the flagman plays with the switches, checks the passing train and returns. It is only when the film ends do we realize that the old flagman was actually reminiscing his own childhood while the rest of the activities were part of his daily routine.
Analysis –
What we like about the film? No doubt, the cinematography. The booth / room and its elements have been superbly shot. Even some of the track scenes are quite creative. However, the game changer is the casting of Bachan Pachera as the flagman. What we found missing is the lack of expression, of subtle pointers, of clarification. The Gatekeeper won the Best Short Fiction Award at International Documentary and Short Film Festival Kerala, (IDSFFK)’ 2015.
Year of Release – 2014 | Director – Atanu Mukherjee | Writer / Story – Atanu Mukherjee | Running Time – 15 Minutes | Availability – HumaraMovie | YouTube