Peace Haven

Peace Haven, filmed in Calcutta, India, and premiered in 2016, is a film that can take the audience on an emotional whirlwind even while it keeps its feet firmly planted in reality. Its complex exploration of morality, mortality, and the intimacy of human relationships makes it a truly unforgettable viewing experience. Helmed by director Suman Ghosh, the movie boasts an exceptional cast, including veterans Paran Banerjee, Soumitra Chatterjee, and Arun Mukherjee, whose performances bring a profound authenticity to the narrative.

The narrative revolves around the lives of three septuagenarians, Bibhuti, Subrata and Nobo, heftily portrayed by Paran Banerjee, Soumitra Chatterjee, and Arun Mukherjee respectively. These main protagonists are old friends who share a commonality not only in their age but also in their collective fear and contemplation on inevitable mortality.

Among the key premises of Peace Haven is the revealing and often painful self-discovery that these three friends face as they're compelled to confront the most daunting and real aspect of life – death. The trio, living in the autumn of their life, starts planning for their upcoming journey to afterlife or rather, afterdeath.

Their narrative journey to confront mortality begins when they decide to hire a professional agency to construct their 'Peace Haven', the final resting place. While this supposed 'peace haven' is primarily a metaphor for the trio’s planning around their respective departure afterlife, it’s also a catalyst propelling them to an existential plane where they begin to contemplate the essence of life, living, relationships, and everything they perceive as immutable. As the narrative progresses, the anticipation of death shifts their perceptions. Sapta, played by Ritwick Chakraborty, a death-handler appointed to look after the post-death affairs, punctuates their respective journey towards self-realisation.

While the movie predominantly revolves around death, it does so with a grand display of humour which serves to balance out the heavy subject matter. The natural discourse among the lead characters smoothens out the creases of morbidity and depicts the inevitability of death in a subtle yet thought-provoking manner.

The beauty of Peace Haven lies in its authenticity. As a viewer, you're drawn into the realistic portrayal of ordinary lives grappling with extraordinary revelations. This realism is greatly amplified by the three veteran actors. Paran Bandhopadhyay shines as Bibhuti, a stern-faced retired postmaster whose conventional beliefs often land him in bouts of humorous encounters. Soumitra Chatterjee, brings to life the character of Subrata, a retired school teacher whose intellectual aura somewhat softens the fear of death. And Arun Mukherjee embodies Nobo, a lonely man coping with the loss of his daughter and gripped by the fear of dying alone.

What is strikingly beautiful in the narrative of Peace Haven is the engagement of death not as an end but as a means, a journey, and a path that leads towards a better comprehension of life. The conversations between the characters are thought-provoking and subtly encourage viewers to contemplate the existential truth of mortality.

The film’s cinematography deserves a special mention. The narrow bylanes of Kolkata, the cozy drawing rooms of old apartments, the local addas (gathering places), are all captured in a manner that draws viewers further into the lives of these three friends. The film’s soundtrack further anchors the narrative, reinforcing the poignant narrative of the film.

In conclusion, Peace Haven, despite its seemingly morbid theme, is an intrinsically life-affirming film. It’s a celebration of life in the guise of a contemplation of death. With its deeply reflective narrative and wonderful storytelling through convincing performances, Peace Haven is not just a film that challenges and enchants; it’s an introspective rendezvous with life, death, and everything in between. A must-watch for those who appreciate cinema as a medium to contemplate life's deepest questions.