South Asian cinema is not often celebrated for its social realism, instead favored for its colorful mixing of metaphorical allusions to the toils of daily life wrapped within spectacular and kinetic set pieces. On the other hand, there has been for decades a hunger, especially in Europe and American arthouses, for a certain kind of quiet, slow cinema that explores the challenges of poverty and the obligations of family. This form was shaped by the post-war neo-realism that emerged from the continent through contemporary works by innumerable filmmakers mixing a documentary-like aesthetic with a gently structured narrative free from anything approaching bombast.
It’s in this context that Maksud Hossain’s directorial debut Saba will flourish for many filmgoers, a movie that presents a raw tale of a struggling woman told with a precision and compassion that rivals many of the similarly-themed works from other regions, delivering a piercing look into the realities of life within one Bangladeshi home without ever succumbing to the mere romanticization of the suffering of those we meet on screen.
What Is 'Saba' About?
Hossain’s story focuses on the titular Saba (Mehazabien Chowdhury), a bright-eyed, warm-hearted young woman whose lot in life is caring more for others than for her own needs. Her mother Shirin (Rokeya Prachy) is wheelchair bound, completely reliant on her daughter for all her needs, yet with a caustic attitude that makes performing those duties that much more challenging. Shirin’s aggressive stubbornness prevents Saba from truly flourishing, while the daughter dutifully navigates her mother’s mercurial moods while trying to find ways of emotionally and financially surviving.
In addition to Shirin’s paralysis, a deteriorating heart condition flares up, forcing Saba to call an ambulance and bring her mother to the hospital, one of the rare times she leaves the cramped apartment. Informed of a necessary yet pricey operation that would extend her mother’s life, Saba seeks employment in a local hookah bar, befriending the manager Ankur (Mostafa Monwar), and juggling valiantly yet ineffectively the need to perform her duties while also needing to rush home to her mother’s many needs.
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Mehazabien Chowdhury Explains Why 'Saba' is Important for Bangladeshi Cinema
The cast and director discuss telling a universal story, finding raw emotion, dealing with crowd-control and Bangladeshi representation at TIFF.
Rather than simply showing a two-dimensional vision of a scolding mother and a hapless daughter, or more overtly rage at the complexities of life for the Bangladeshi underclass and the vagaries of tradition and responsibility, Hossain’s film takes a more complicated and thus more cinematically rich tactic. Saba is no pure and selfless angel, and her frustrations are both palpable and well-earned. The dynamic with Ankur is also richly drawn, his backstory given weight as the two see in each other both the constraints and opportunities of their city life.
While Ankur wishes to leave for France, earning money on the side by circumventing some of the strict social and religious codes of the state, Saba herself is encouraged to be more morally flexible and to take charge of her circumstances. These elements collide in ways that will transform all of them, illustrating how these real forces of obligation and survival trump any other considerations. Saba’s choices are both understandable and somewhat shocking, betraying some for the sake of altruism for others, an impossible situation made worse thanks to the additional pressures of poverty and the deteriorating health of one she has felt a guilt-ridden responsibility to care for since childhood.
'Saba's Look and Performances Enhance This Already Rich Tale
Cinematographer Barkat Hossain Polash captures the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka in muted tones, the dank corridors and sodium-lit streetscapes a flurry of ambers and dark blues. This caustic, claustrophobic world still finds moments of warmth, from the subtle lighting employed when Saba snuggles atop her mother in their shared bed, or the one time that a promenade is made through sun-dappled trees, a short-lived moment of visual and spiritual cathartic where the characters are soon again swallowed back to their meager spaces. Even a car dealership is shot in ways that feel sickly and uninviting, a visual canvas that consistently mirrors the emotional travails of these characters throughout.
It’s these fine elements of craft, along with compelling performances by Chowdhury, Prachy, and Monwar, that make Hossain’s feature debut that much more remarkable. While there are still moments more stilted and obvious than others, for the most part, the film gently unfolds while navigating the harshest of social situations. None of it would be as effective if we didn’t care about these characters, and thanks to the strong ensemble and precise direction, the film slowly reveals itself to be a film worthy of consideration. Saba takes international audiences into territory both familiar and uniquely Bangladeshi, resulting in an emotionally rich, visually subtle tale that’s sure to find rapt audiences around the world.
Saba provides an emotionally rich, visually subtle tale that’s sure to find rapt audiences around the world.
- Strong performances
- Exceptional directorial debut
- Challenging storyline told with subtlety
- Occassionaly gets dragged down by repetitive miseries
Saba had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
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