An opening edit, bringing together two shots so that a cannon appears to be firing on a statue of the former Viceroy of India, sets the tone for this formally and politically radical film.
The story is a simple but engaging one. A family friend promises our ambitious, personable young protagonist a job with a prestigious foreign firm. All he needs to do is turn up to the interview in a Western-style suit. When the big day arrives, a strike at the dry cleaners throws everything into chaos.
Director Mrinal Sen was co-author, in 1968, of a manifesto calling for a break with the existing Indian commercial and art cinema. He and a generation of young filmmakers responded with a slew of socially relevant, politically committed and formally experimental films drawing on local and international influences. Interview is exemplary of this new Parallel Cinema: an analysis and deconstruction of neo-colonialism, deploying a plethora of avant-garde devices (freeze-frames, jump cuts, direct-to-camera address).
India 1971 Dir Mrinal Sen 101 min Digital presentation
With thanks to Kunal Sen.
Film provided by National Film Archive of India.
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