Margarita with a Straw (2015)

Truly Dreadful Film

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Best movie ever!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Having read through the reviews at this movie I am amazed that some people felt the lead character was a nasty/selfish person. If that is the main takeaway then I think you missed a big point of the film, and that is that EVERYONE has issues. Those people who wrote these reviews seemed to think badly of Kalki's character simply because of some of the ways she behaved - as though 'disabled' people are supposed to behave by some kind of superior set of values. To those people I suggest you watch it again and see her as a human being and realize she IS more than her disabilities.Personally, I found it to be a superb movie. From the script writing through the cinematography to the acting. There were some seriously strong performances and not just from Kalki Koechlin who, quite frankly, deserves an Oscar for her performance.There's so much to like about this film and so little to dislike and it is very thought-provoking, which has to be a good thing. As others have pointed out it is definitely not a masala movie and as there are some mature themes in it, I wouldn't say it was family viewing, unless your kids are old enough.

This is the second worst movie I've ever seen in my life (the first being Monsters by Gareth Edwards), but to explain why however is complicated. A story with an unlikable character is fine, Scott Pilgrim was one of the freshest offerings we've seen in recent cinema and the title character couldn't be more of a pathetic dick. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans was a story entirely about a maniac cop who uses and brutalizes others and how the system allows people like him to exist.Laila, the film's protagonist, is selfish, moody, pitiful, takes advantage of her disability, consistently and effortlessly avoids consequence or karmic retribution for her horrible behavior and in the end, having learned nothing, having gained nothing and having treated the people around her like garbage, she learns to love herself, which is represented metaphorically by, no joke, having Laila end the film by going on a date with herself and giggling flirtatiously at herself in a mirror.Bad Lieutenant this is not, the story goes out of its way to paint Laila as a beautiful human being despite her numerous short-comings and lack of any redeeming quality besides the inherent sadness behind being physically handicapped and then ends by having the people around her reaffirm their happiness with her and having her realize the deep love she's learned to allow herself.The film is riddled with countless other flaws, writing that seems to rely on cinematography to tell its story and cinematography that is unclear and obfuscated. Kalki Koechlin seems to be a sort of anti-Christopher Nolan in her incompetence at relaying vital information. Scenes appear and disappear with no function, even as introspection or down-time. Characters are introduced and dropped having plenty of screen-time and no influence on the plot, which is thin enough as is, then leaving without explanation. The director is so frightened by the idea of having a tense scene for even a moment that the movie will drop levity into a scene the very moment a character is given a tough situation or bad news, just so the audience doesn't feel uncomfortable for even a second.But every single complaint, big or small, that I could lob at the movie is overshadowed by the writer's crippling love and forgiveness for a character who has an ugly heart.This is not the indie masterpiece that's going to bring much needed representation to cerebral palsy. It's not cultural touch-stone that will introduce or represent Indian culture or cinema to international audiences to any meaningful degree. It's a selfish fantasy by this generation's worst independent screenwriter.It's free on Netflix. Give it a try if you really must, but I can't warn you against it enough.

Margarita, with a Straw (2014) is an Indian film written and directed by Shonali Bose and Nilesh Maniyar. Kalki Koechlin plays Laila, an intelligent young woman who is gifted in many ways. The only thing that could hold her back is her cerebral palsy. This medical problem is not shown to us as a beautiful young woman with a limp. Laila's body is twisted, she must use a wheelchair, and she needs help in many different ways. She's fiercely independent, but her cerebral palsy keeps getting in the way of her life.Ultimately, Laila moves to NYC, to go to college. She arrives in the middle of winter. Seeing NYC in winter through a foreigner's eyes was a revelation. The city isn't just cold--it's threatening. However, the first New Yorker with whom Laila interacts is a bus driver in one of NYC's kneeling buses. He is friendly and helpful, and that's a revelation too.Most of the movie takes place in New York City, and Laila adapts well to her new situation. She succeeds academically, she falls in love, and she's happy. I had expected endless psychological and mechanical obstructions. However, Laila's enthusiasm for life keeps these frustrations at bay. The romantic problems are harder to overcome. How Laila copes with them is the major plot theme.I need to make special mention of Kalki Koechlin as Leila. She is so convincing as a person with cerebral palsy that I had to check her biography to make sure she did not have this condition. It would be interesting to see an actor with cerebral palsy playing a starring role in a movie. However, Kalki Koechlin doesn't have cerebral palsy. It's hard to imagine how Koechlin could convince us that Leila has cerebral palsy. Koechlin's portrayal shows incredible acting skills. My compliments to her on her great performance!We saw this movie on the large screen as part of ImageOut, the superb Rochester LGBT Film Festival. It will work almost as well on the small screen.

Everything about "Margarita with a Straw" is worthy of note. I loved the storyline, the treatment of it, the portrayal by the actors of their respective characters, and the development of the theme of physical disability and how individuals cope and live their lives to the fullest. When the film ended, I did feel a lump in my throat, especially when I read the dedication by Shonali Bose. I personally understood a few things better about cerebral palsy after I saw this film, and that has made an impression on me. Yet, when it was all done, I had a feeling that I had seen a fine documentary rather than a feature film. The flat realism of the narration distanced me from the destinies of the characters, and the jagged pacing of the screenplay hindered a deep involvement with the emotions of the very attractive characters. I wondered, too, why the main characters had to experience a full hand of exceptional circumstances—being affected by cerebral palsy, she is bisexual, her romantic partner is blind, and her mother is in a serious situation. These loaded circumstances of the main character's life made the film's focus thin. As for the acting, kudos to just about everyone.I was pleasantly surprised that the tiresome Hindi film style of portraying a person with disablities was entirely dropped, and the director wisely avoided histrionics. I am glad I saw it, even if I don't rate the film as great cinema.