Oonko Sweater certainly deserves all the praise and love it has received. It is like a breath of fresh air for the Nepali film industry and shows what Nepali filmmakers should actually aim for. I am not a big fan of Nepali movies, but I can’t stop myself from admiring a few films like Oonko Sweater that are brilliantly made. The makers knew exactly what they were doing, unlike many Nepali movies where the vision of the makers rarely gets translated.
The movie is not merely about intercaste romance; it’s much more than that. It’s about how we, as Nepalese, put our family and society before ourselves. It’s about how we think that living for oneself is selfish. It’s about how we are always trying to impress others, how we want society to like us, and how we don’t want to offend them. It’s about how we realize things too late and how one brave decision can change our lives. It’s also about how each one of us is a Kafle. Each of us has a "Phool" in our life whom we couldn’t reach. That Phool does not necessarily need to be a person; it may be a dream. The movie teaches us that some things can never be achieved, even if you want them with all your heart and try with complete conviction. We all have to live with such things, knowing we can never possess them. The movie is also about making peace with that reality. Kafle not marrying his whole life is his peace. Phool might have married and had kids -that’s her peace. What everyone seeks in life is peace, and making peace is what everyone should learn.
Bipin’s acting is on point. Hats off to this man’s work. I can understand why Bipin’s character did what he did in the movie, but I can’t help but fantasize about the alternate possibilities. It goes without saying that Bipin’s character is the heart of the movie. I hope he meets a director of his potential one day so we can get an epic piece of art. Miruna’s acting impressed me this time, not because she was brilliant, but because she seemed to have worked on her craft. Although the character of Phool is not much different from the others she plays, the maker of this movie was smart enough to know her acting limitations. This doesn’t make her any lesser; she put life into this movie. I enjoyed every frame she was in. She was totally convincing as Phool. This happens when the maker’s vision and the actor's work marry. The character of Phool is well explored; she is a little brave and a little rebellious. If Phool were to live in modern times, she and Kafle would be together.
However, the storyline of Dambar and Iksha didn’t seem very interesting to me. It felt like the makers didn't put much thought into that subplot; it just served as a lead-in to the actual story of Kafle and Phool. The acting of those actors wasn’t very convincing. Additionally, the "auto culture" shown as an important part of the movie didn’t seem accurate to me. I think it was about 10 to 15 years after this setting that the actual auto-filling culture started in Nepal. I filled a few such autos myself in my teenage years.
Much has been said about the brilliant cinematography and the music by Sujan Chapagain, which is on point. The music is not just a cherry on top; it is the blood that flows through the movie.
The ending of the movie is perfect. It lingers in your mind for a very long time, evoking a deep sense of sadness-a hole in your heart. You feel bad for both Phool and Kafle, but you also think about yourself. Can you picture yourself as Kafle or Phool? Can you live your life without the person you truly want? Some might not even understand why Kafle wasn’t brave enough to fulfill the promises he made to Phool. As an audience member, I did feel that the movie was a bit too open to interpretation and the father-son dynamics were not explored enough. The character of the father is one of the most fascinating characters, and he could have had more screen time.
But again, all these things show the brilliance of the movie. In real life, we don’t know everything about everyone. We have to rely on limited information and guess the rest. The movie does the same by depriving us of full information about the characters. This is exactly why understanding the setting and the context is so important. Gen X and Gen Y can relate to the movie the most; newer generations might find it difficult to grasp the dynamics as they never lived in that world. The movie made me sad, but I consoled myself by saying it’s just a movie- while knowing that there were, and are, many Kafles and Phools in Nepali society who could not translate their love into marriage.
