The film is a relevant conversation with conformity and societal pressures, but without making itself overbearing. It introduces us to Aadi who is stuck in an exhausting, soul-sucking job. His partner Vishal who is a photographer has his set of challenges too, especially ever since he came out about his sexuality, and yet, his approach to the life the two of them have built together is very different from Aadi. <br><br>
While Vishal has achieved peace and happiness with his decisions, Aadi struggles with them a lot. He takes refuge in meditation but ends up using it like a crutch, or worse, an escape. The film brings all of these emotions and conflicts to life with notable potential in terms of writing, storytelling, and the chemistry of its two actors. Though there is a little inconsistency when it comes to the overall production value, the stylized approach and narratorial vision make it easy to overlook it.

Hidden Battles of a Fragile Mind | Short Film Nominee

The Five Stages of Metta Bhavana is a short film which muses on the Buddhist meditation practice using an interesting analogy of one old, aesthetic rocking chair, and four plastic chairs that are painted white. As the narrator peacefully sheds off her insecurities with each rock of the comfortable, wooden chair, a glistening mirror appears on one of the white chairs, a shadow of the past on another, a commoner, member of the crowd on the next, and finally, a nightmare on the last one. <br><br>
The four elements represent various barriers one needs to cross to cultivate a loving, compassionate bond with nature and its beings- starting with accepting oneself and concluding with reconciling with the dark, hurtful past. The film advocates living in peace and happiness with similes that indeed go a long way.


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