ANN DAVIS
Special to The Morning Star
The last movie in the Vernon Film Society winter series will be shown Monday.
The Lunchbox will be a delight for all of those who have travelled to India, and an eye-opener for those who have not. It is a tender story about two lonely people, the great Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire), as Saajan, an accountant, and Nimrat Kaur as Ila, a neglected housewife.
The hot lunches brought daily by Mumbai’s world famous dabbawalas, couriers who feed the city via an intricate delivery system, are at the centre of the story and as Johanna Schneller of the Globe and Mail says: “Real ones appear in the film and watching them perform their daily miracle is worth the price of admission.”
When Ila’s lunch for her husband is misdirected to Saanjan, a correspondence develops between them as they tuck notes in the containers each day and gradually reveal their inner selves, and fall delicately in love. Khan states the movie is, “a tribute to people whose lives have somehow become mechanical, their spark, their spirit fades away, slowly, slowly. Something needs to be done. So this magic happens.”
Waiting to see if the two will ever meet and carry on with the unfolding story keeps the viewers interest right until the last reel.
It’s a delight for all romantics, a glimpse into a world mosjt of us are unfamiliar with, and sure to be a crowd pleaser.
The movie will be shown at the Towne Theatre Monday at 5:15 and 7:45 p.m. All tickets are $7 and available at the door and Bean Scene. Programs for the spring season will be available shortly at the usual outlets.
The Vernon Film Society is celebrating its 30th anniversary and, as a thank you to loyal patrons, is offering passes for any five movies for $30. These passes will be available for purchase at regular movie nights and will expire at the end of December.
