REVIEWS FOR INDEPENDENT FILM, LOW BUDGET FILM, SHORT FILM & WEB SERIES
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Destiny. The prim and proper mother to that adventurous daughter karma. When these two ladies conspire, anything is possible. Good. Bad. Usually however, both in measured amounts. In "Destiny" from writer and director Vikkramm Chandirramani, our leading lady Tanya is a seemingly normal gal. All giggly and excited about her upcoming third date with Derek, a man she met through a dating site. According to her, he's not only handsome - but smart, attentive and genuine. Big emphasis on the genuine aspect. Although it's only the third date, Tanya has no issues believing he "could" be the one. Her future husband.
That is of course, until he bails on that third date. In true genuine form, he carefully informs Tanya he just doesn't see a future for the two. Those magical wedding bells just didn't go off in his head. At least he was upfront and honest right? They tried. It didn't work. No harm no foul. Tanya however, sees it a little differently. His lack of commitment, in terms of trying to work it out, bothers her. A lot. Who does this man think he is? Dumping her after only two dates? And the nerve of him to be truthful with her? What a bastard! "Destiny" is a quick story of revenge. Well, revenge is maybe a little harsh a word, but payback fits. After the first act, that I described above, Vikkramm Chandirramani's film follows Tanya as she toys with Derek. Focusing on dating applications, Tanya uses these social outlets to set up - and knock down her target. That happens to be Derek. That old saying of a woman scorned? That's the idea here. The twist? A character reversal. In "Destiny" the dreaded stalker isn't the man. It's the woman. Who would have thought? It was rather refreshing to see that in this film, it was the girl taking on the role of stalker. That very fact is even joked about at the start of the film. So many movies portray the guys being the bad ones. The guys with the emotional issues. Not here. Here it is obvious that Tanya has to deal with insecurities and emotions... yet she's not that helpless girl we've all become accustomed to seeing onscreen. Maybe her motives are less than noble, but Tanya's character is portrayed as a strong woman. A woman who will get things done - and definitely not someone you want to cross. The play here, is that she's actually the trouble maker. That doesn't change the strength it takes to "make" that trouble. Right or wrong is not of any importance. Her ability to "go out and do it" is everything... and I loved it!
With that said, "Destiny" is a well done production all around. Visually it's crisp, clear, and post production wise it's all aces. I always love it when I don't really have anything negative to say in terms of production quality. In this case? Very little at all - I'm also not scared to say the acting is handled quite nicely as well. Imagine that? Tanya, her best friend Richa, and Derek himself are all believable portrayed. Tanya's playful delight, in causing Derek some hardship, is definitely fun to watch. As is Richa's attempts to back Tanya away from Derek, while at the same time attempting to stay on her side. It all unfolds in a clever, sometimes comic way that I had no problems following along with. Even though it was subtitled! A feather in the cap for sure. At this point you may be wondering how destiny, and karma, work into this piece? It is clever, yet aside from that all I can write is to find out for yourself. You'll be glad you did. "Destiny" ended up being a playful delight. I absolutely loved the role reversal - but more to the point? I can totally see this happening on a daily basis. Maybe not the "trick" ending, but all the rest. At the time of this writing, "Destiny" has become free to watch. I recommend setting aside a few minutes and doing just that. Maybe then drop us a line and tell us what you thought. |
