Queerguru’s Jose Mayorgas reviews LOVERS IN THE BLUE NIGHT @ Venice International Film Festival

Water, both calm and tormenting, runs parallel to the protagonist of this story, which unfolds on the fringes of Mumbai, where the four migrants come together.

At the beginning,  a gray river, stormy skies, the wind, and human voices provide the atmosphere. Right after, we meet introspective Karim, who rides a bike and makes and sells traps and rat poison while tenderly caring for the rodents, dead or alive, by burying them or letting them sneak away.  Karim is a closeted gay man married to a beautifully serene woman from abroad; he picks her up and takes her home, a small room where they live, eat, and sleep; their proximity doesn´t allow a fluid exchange or intimacy tough, though they both sleep silently, fully clothed.

Karim´s lonely and disillusioned wife works at a local bar where she is mistakenly named Usari by a client who is obsessed with her. At the bar, there are sex talks; clients show interest by the quantity of red roses they display. Usari gets many roses as well as letters.  It is fascinating to watch from above the sequences that show the interactions of the women with the clients and the verbal communication that prevails.  At work,  Karim´s wife falls for pimp  Omran, also called Omi, with whom she develops a bond, eventually confessing to him that in her marriage she doesn´t get from her husband the treatment she deserves as a wife.

On a given day, Karim is working outdoors and, by chance, he meets small-time thief Sukka, who is running away from the cops who are chasing after him. Sukka commands a band and, as a token of gratitude, offers Karim a job to earn more money. There is a connection between Karim and Sukka and they show it by sharing one cigarette at a time, from one’s lips to the other.

The relationship of the protagonists develops in the crowded and noisy city, long blue nights, empathy, limitations, and adversity.   The film makes a study of yearning and interactions in a specific cultural context where people drown and die because of the floods, while plastic floats in the river.

Anuparna Roy directs her second film and returns to the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival, Orizzonti section, in competition, shortlisted as well for the Queer Lion Award.  Last year she made history as the first Indian filmmaker to win the Best Director Award in the same section with her debut feature film  Songs of Forgotten Trees.

Lovers in the Blue Night cast includes Kajal Keshav, Pritam Pilania, Jatin Sarin, Bhushan Shimpi,  Neelima Sharma and Vinod Suryavanshi.3.5 stars

https://queerguru.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/lovers.mp4

JOSE MAYORGAS : CONTRIBUTING EDITOR.  Guatemala, Central America 

Lawyer and notary public, visual artist, and editor of El Azar Cultural,  lives and works in Guatemala City. Cinema lover, curious about the possibilities life brings and eager to live the experience.