Embracing Uncertainty: Pushan Kripalani’s Goldfish (2023)
In a world that ceaselessly seeks clarity and control, Pushan Kripalani’s Goldfish offers a poignant reminder of the beauty in embracing uncertainty. Released in 2022, this delicately crafted film revolves around themes of identity, familial ties, and the unpredictability of life, all explored through the strained relationship between a mother and daughter. More than just a story, Goldfish is an ode to finding peace amidst life’s unknowns, which is a lesson that resonates deeply in its understated charm.
A Nuanced Narrative:
The film follows Anamika (Kalki Koechlin), a young woman who returns to London to care for her mother Sadhana (Deepti Naval), who is grappling with dementia. Their relationship seems as fragmented as Sadhana’s memory: marked by unspoken resentment, cultural displacement, and buried affection. Yet, what could have been a straightforward tale of reconciliation or affliction becomes something far richer in Kripalani’s hands.
Through its tender storytelling, Goldfish doesn’t offer resolutions tied neatly with a bow. Instead, it thrives on the messiness of real life. It pursues the answers that lie neither in the future nor in the past, but in the attempts of attaining them in the present moment. Anamika’s journey is not about fixing her mother or their relationship but about learning to coexist with imperfection. As Sadhana’s memories fade, Anamika must navigate a dynamic in which the future is increasingly uncertain, the past wounds remain unresolved and the present is staring at her with puzzled eyes.
The Goldfish as a Metaphor:
The titular goldfish serves as a subtle metaphor for the film’s central theme. Known for their short memories and circular existence, goldfish embody a kind of oblivious resilience. They thrive in small, constrained spaces, seemingly unbothered by the chaos of the world around them. In many ways, Sadhana’s dementia mirrors this state, as her life becomes a series of moments, disconnected from any coherence whatsoever. For Anamika, learning to embrace her mother’s present condition becomes a practice in surrendering control over certainty.
This metaphor extends to the larger tapestry of human experience. Just as a goldfish is said to have a short-lived memory and seems fairly happily going about its way, Goldfish reminds us that some of life’s most profound lessons come when we let go of the need to recollect, predict or dictate outcomes.
Room for Reflection Kripalani’s direction mirrors the thematic core of uncertainty through its aesthetic. The pacing seems deliberate, allowing silences and spaces to breathe. Cinematographer Pushan Kripalani, doubling as the film’s director, uses muted tones and intimate frames to reflect the fragility of the characters’ emotional landscapes.
Rather than rushing towards a resolution, the film lingers in the in-between moments: a glance that lasts too long, an unfinished sentence, the act of folding laundry while memories fold in on themselves. These choices challenge the audience to sit with a quiet discomfort and ambiguity, reflecting upon the protagonists’ journey.
Sweet Uncertainty:
What makes Goldfish so special is its ability to find sweetness within this ambiguity. Despite the film’s somber premise, it brims with quiet humor and warmth. Sadhana’s neighbors come across as a chorus of multicultural and multilingual characters, bringing levity and texture to the story. Their eccentricities highlight the shared experience of navigating through life’s unpredictabilities. Moreover, the film refrains from reducing dementia to a tragedy or portraying caregiving as a burden. Instead, it finds moments of joy in the small, fleeting connections between Anamika and Sadhana: a shared joke, a brief moment of lucidity, or even a disagreement that hints at latent love. These moments remind viewers that while uncertainty can be daunting, it is also where beauty often resides.
Fish Food For Thought:
Ultimately, Goldfish offers a gentle yet profound lesson: life rarely unfolds according to plan, and that’s okay. What stands out is that the film doesn’t preach acceptance, rather it models it. By the end, Anamika hasn’t “solved” her relationship with her mother or hasn’t found a solution to her own inner turmoil. Instead, she has begun to make peace with the fluidity of it all, recognizing that some answers never come and some resolutions are never final.
In an era obsessed with control and closure, Goldfish is a cinematic balm. It invites us to loosen the grip on our need for certainty and to trust the ebb and flow of life. Through its tender exploration of memory, identity, and love, it reminds us that there is beauty and a quiet tenderness, in simply learning to swim with the tide. Like the goldfish, we may forget, stumble, and circle back to the same place with different dilemmas. Yet perhaps, that’s the sweet, uncertain circle of life to be embraced, without the urgency to arrive at answers.
