In the aftermath of the Indian supreme court’s disheartening decision to recriminalise homosexuality, Sudhanshu Saria’s tender but revealing romance pulsates with the sad legacy of a national move to delegitimise love for certain people.

Such is the film’s delicate handling of its story that the love of the title – stylised as Loev, lurve’s equivalent – is less about being denied something natural and more about that familiar, gender-neutral, and quintessentially human experience of navigating a multitude of feelings that you cannot hope to understand. This is a powerful directorial debut about unspoken histories that are at once personal and national.

The simple but striking image of two men attempting awkward intimacy in a single bed epitomises the tragic restrictions that are placed on love throughout the world. Loev is vital filmmaking from a powerful new voice. 

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Dhruv Ganesh, Siddharth Menon, Shiv Pandit

DIRECTOR: Sudhanshu Saria

WRITER: Sudhanshu Saria

SYNOPSIS: Two old friends uncover feelings for one another over the course of a weekend getaway.