Plot
An Indian student in Prague and a lonely New Yorker correspond online through video letters. A voyeuristic love story about aching for human connection in a hyper-connected world.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 8.1/10 (87 voted)
Critic's Score: 35/100
Director: James E. Duff
Stars: Andrew Pastides, Mahira Kakkar, Brian Sloan
Storyline
An Indian student in Prague and a lonely New Yorker correspond online through video letters. A voyeuristic love story about aching for human connection in a hyper-connected world.
Writers: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Cast: Mahira Kakkar -
Asha
Andrew Pastides -
Hank
Brian Sloan -
Bartender
Anna Tydlitatova -
Student
Bianca Butti -
Anne
Robyn Kerr -
Waitress
Jean-Baptiste Moreau -
French Waiter
Ken Butler -
Himself
Brian Patrick Murphy -
Security Guard
Samuel Beckwith -
Prague Bar Patron
Margot Duff -
Prague Bar Patron
Jiri Dular -
Prague Bar Patron
Vaiva Katinaityte -
Prague Bar Patron
Valerio Mendoza -
Prague Bar Patron
Felicia Cavallaro -
Lower East Side Bar Patron
This year's romantic comedies have nothing on Hank and Asha. The film
gives us a new take on a topic that's been attempted several times
before: long-distance relationships. The film is genuinely funny,
doesn't try too hard, and isn't fantastical with its topic. First-time
director James E. Duff gets it right in an age where long-distance and
online relationships are all the rage in a highly connected world.
Asha (Mahira Kakkar) is an Indian girl studying film abroad in Prague.
At a film festival, she sees a documentary that moves her and is
disappointed when the director of the film, Hank (Andrew Pastides),
isn't there to talk about it. In order to ask a question about the
inspiring film, Asha tracks down his information and sends him a video
message.
Hank is living in New York and responds in kind. Through video
messages, they begin a heartfelt relationship that connects them to
each other though they never meet face-to-face.
They're both lonely and disconnected from the physical world, but come
to learn a lot about each other through questions and funny messages
they leave for each other. Certain complications arise that throw a
wrench in their relationship and force them to look at things a little
more realistically.
This film is by far one of the most heartfelt films of the year. It's
cute and funny, warm and sad. The performances, though the two actors
are never in the same scene, are fantastic and extremely layered.
You'll feel almost as if you were receiving messages from a friend
abroad. The movie breaks racial barriers too and doesn't focus on the
fact that it's doing so, which is a refreshing break from the films
that make you hyper-aware of it.
The film is shot entirely through video messages between the
characters. In this aspect, it's very original. We get to see two
different worlds entirely through messages left in different time
zones. The movie explores the loneliness of living in a new place and
the struggles of maintaining human contact through online means.
Through each other they learn and experience new things. Hank and Asha
get to know each other better than some people do in the real world and
that is one of the film's strengths.
Mahira Kakkar as Asha is the perfect choice. She's cute and awkwardly
funny in a way that's entirely real. Besides being funny, Kakkar brings
warmth to her scenes and can make you laugh and extremely sad depending
on what the situation calls for. She'll have you rooting for Kakkar.
And funny as it is to say, seeing as how the leads never appear on
screen together, but they have pretty great chemistry in reaction to
each other's messages.
Andrew Pastides is the average guy. He's not stereotypically suave and
doesn't say charming things because he has ulterior motives. He's sweet
and funny. He acts like a lot of guys actually act and it comes off as
very realistic and true. His frustrated ranting is both entertaining
and highly saddening in context with his and Asha's relationship
struggles. He and Kakkar both work so well talking to only a camera.
Hank and Asha is easily one of the best films at the Virginia Film
Festival this year. It embraces the online world in a comedic fashion,
but brings it back down to Earth with its poignant realism. It's
heartwarming and very lovable in a way a lot of romantic comedies can
only dream of being, the cast perfect, and the story almost
bittersweet. It's really a story for anyone who's ever struggled to be
connected to someone in a world that's highly plugged in to cyberspace,
yet somehow disconnected. Sweet, fun, and realistic.
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