The Land of Cards or Tasher Desh

I'm not overly familiar with Indian movies and culture. I know very core basics from what I learned in school but Indian cinema is obscure to me. I know of Bollywood and movies that have crossed the ocean to our films like Slumdog Millionaire but I will not be the foremost expert in analyzing key components of Indian culture for study and analysis. What I can do is understand what I like and dislike watching a film without preconceived ideals and historic information. The film I just finished watching off Netflix is called The Land of Cards. This movie is a trippy art-house film that is also surprisingly a musical. I wasn't going into this movie thinking of a musical based on the subject manner but it was quite unique. I will be judging the movie based on story, characters and cinematography. Can this movie break through to western audiences with positive reviews or will it be on Netflix with a select few for viewing. Let's break the mold of society and review The Land of Cards.

This story is unique. It has a feel of Alice in Wonderland meets Lysistrata (a Greek Comedy showing off strong female leads). We will first introduce ourselves to our story teller, who we don't know his name. He is in black and white and he seems like a screw is loose. He is obsessed with the story of Tasher Desh and wants to show it to the world. When he doesn't get the opportunity, he recites the story in his head (he is carrying his play version of Tasher Desh) and we then proceed to get transported to color film and we get to meet the characters of the story. The prince is bored with his life, he has his servants, gets waited on, and spends most of the day smoking marijuana and playing ping pong. He desires more than what he is required of him. He decides he and his friend, a merchant, break free of his surroundings and find true meaning. They land on an island and find it is ruled by fascist group. They are in the land of cards. Each person is represents a card (they have white face paint, their lips have their suit on it) and have the rank of the number or the face card. They capture the prince and merchant and when they were going to be punished for being different, the prince spreads a word (in the movie is a song) and the women start to refuse to obey what the men are trying to do. The prince has started to unravel the cards society by expressing freedom, love and shake off the rules of tyranny and oppression.

I like how the story uses the women as the starting point for change. Like many Greek comedies, women are smarter and are able to manipulate their male counterpart by using their cunning guile or withholding sex. It gives a fresh and yet classic approach for how society can be so much better if women were able to showcase their ideals and the men would be lost without them. It's funny and a classic idea. Now, as much as the story is fascinating, the movie makes it drag. The film is like the tale of two stories. The first half has the black and white story teller reciting the story in his head and out loud wondering around the countryside and as well as the prince doing drugs, taking baths and being utterly useless. The director trips the viewer out and then we begin the actual story once the prince leaves and finds the beach in the land of cards. The first half of the film has so many jump cuts, edits and moments to make it seem trippy or psychedelic that it was boring. Those edit styles, to me, come off as pretentious and overcompensated. It's fine to try and be “artsy” and “not mainstream” but I have a hard time following the story in the first half because it's constant jumps to color and black and white and back again; seeing characters I don't know and preachy dialogue that comes out of what people interpret in ancient stories rather than modern text. The second half is where we get to the main story and it's a lot better.

The characters are unique for the most part. The story-teller is quirky and unhinged as he is so deep into the story that he talks out loud, recites the story and wonders around the countryside in a way that would have anyone committed for evaluation. The prince comes off like a Disney princess from the 90s. He has this lifestyle of wealth and fortune but he finds it boring and wants to do and see and explore more. That is fine and all, but the way he complains is laughable and the amount of drugs he takes makes me seem like a spoiled brat from the suburbs. The second half he actually gets lost in the movie because once he spreads the message to the land of cards, he then spends the rest of the time on the beach with his friend drinking, smoking and having a care-free life (which is exactly what he had to begin with). The cards all start out the same. They are strict fascists that yell orders and answers to each other without controlling the volume of their voice. After the princes' message, the Ace of Hearts is the first to show different character traits once she sees the ocean and starts viewing the world in a different light. One by one, each card shows more and more personality whether it be lesbianism or even homosexuality. The fascist blood in their bodies start to decay and they begin to each start showing their non compliant personalities.

The cinematography is beautifully done. I'm not a fan of all the edits. The black and white scenes are done very well with stark light and the absents of color black in the background. The sets and locations that were filmed showcase the beauty of their surroundings and yet the stark and emptiness as well. The color scenes are also beautifully done. The first half has the prince in his home and its all barren. He has his servants and his food but it's fancy items in a hollow fortress of a home. The simplistic approach makes us feel how the prince feels with being isolated and wanting more. When they go to the island, the colors are vibrant and the beaches are beautiful and the land of cards home is a barren desert of sand and void of anything else. The scenes greatly showcase the backgrounds and their shots on location. It created the atmosphere the director wants us to feel.

With all that information, would I recommend the movie? That is a tough one to answer. The movie is subtitled (I don't mind reading) and the movie is based of a story written in India back in the early 1900s. There is a lot that is good with the movie and a lot that I either couldn't understand or was bored by. The musical numbers that was in the movie sounded nice but comes out of nowhere and put the movie on standstill until it was finished. The first half of the movie shows the story-teller losing his mind and the constant jumps to the story and his life is jumbling and headache driven. The second half has a slower pace, a more concise story but more musical numbers that don't move the plot forward and are a minute or two longer than they need to be. I can say if you like Indian features, musicals, psychedelic editing techniques and fairy tales, then this movie would be a choice for you. If those don't sound like your cup of tea, I will you can pass on the film and maybe start out with a different Indian cinematic film that might be your gateway film. I'm glad I watched the movie but the first hour was too much for me and I am very happy the second part was able to slow down everything for me to grasp what I am seeing and what is going on. If you feel ambitious, it is on Netflix now. Just be aware it's not in English, it is subtitled and you will be confused for the first half of the film.

I give this movie 2 decks of cards out of 5