Trishna

Director Michael Winterbottom is clearly smitten with India in TRISHNA, offering long, loving shots of cityscapes and decorative postcard shots of countrysides. Often, he also spends long moments following his characters moving from one place to another, even if nothing else is happening. For local color, there are even a few scenes of dancers performing Bollywood-style moves. Unfortunately, after all this, he forgets to spend much time actually telling his story or getting to know his characters.

The result is a dry, inert, frustrating, and boring experience, more detours than drama. When Jay finally expresses his love and longing for his leading lady, the scene fizzles. Her response is dead-eyed, and therefore, there's no romantic or emotional arc to their relationship. It's totally dreary, and as it slides downhill, the story seems more inevitable than tragic. Fans of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles may find something worthwhile here, but most others shouldn't bother.