Filmmakers Jimmy Goldblum and Adam Weber's Tomorrow We Disappear tells a sad chronicle of change and loss in New Delhi, when government forces decided it was time to raze a colorful warren of slum houses and streets that had been home for generations to street artists and performers. The mid-city colony, called Kathputli, is not much to look at in this revealing documentary, but what is captivating is the warm and apparently happy people within—puppeteers, acrobats, magicians—who are the soul of the place, men and women comfortable in their work, who have exotic traditions that they pass on to their children. Viewers will meet Puran Bhatt, whose enormous puppets are something to behold, both for their size and expressive possibilities; Rahman Shah, who can make his young son vanish before a crowd's eyes; and Maya Pawar, a bright-eyed teenage girl who can walk a tightrope and pick up needles with her eyelids. All of them are great fun to watch, but the world darkens over Kathpulti when the powers-that-be decide that the community must make way for a high-rise. Bhatt, Shah, and the others fight back and even fight among themselves over what to do, a tragic sight given the closeness of these artists. It's no surprise that the offer made by officials to temporarily house everyone essentially amounts to a cruel, inhumane situation. In a sadly ironic scene, Bhatt attends a museum exhibit extolling the contributions of street artists to Indian culture—not only has he lost his home, he has essentially become an artifact behind a rope. A powerful documentary, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
Tomorrow We Disappear
(2014) 83 min. In Hindi w/English subtitles. DVD: $29.95. Kino Lorber (avail. from most distributors). Volume 32, Issue 1
Tomorrow We Disappear
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