GSR is a very creative, thought-provoking, and emotional movie. It is set in South Asia, and while those from that region or with ancestry from that region (almost one out of every four people on Earth…) might connect with this a little more for historical and cultural reasons, the theme is universal and will strongly appeal to all.
I won’t get into details of the story, but it challenges conventional thinking, shows how reality could possibly be if we decide to make it so, and demonstrates the power of modern technology via an incredibly warm and emotional message about our common humanity.
The themes are numerous: friendship, generations, the power of technology, letting go of the past, respect for elders, the commonality amongst youth all over the world today, looking forward, and seeing a world where people view people without any labels, preconceived notions, or historical biases. Underlying all of this is the theme of love – both the timeless love of childhood friendship and also the love within a family between grandparents and grandchildren. And all of this in such a short movie! How short? I’ll get to this in a few minutes.
Amit Sharma has done a superb job of direction – every frame is perfectly planned and filmed. Mysore Shrinivas Sathyu, Vishwa Mohan Badola, Auritra Ghosh, and Syed Shabahat Ali, all act their roles perfectly – the story seems very realistic. The background music and singing really fits in well – well done by composer Clinton Cerejo, lyricist Neelesh Jain, and singer Piyush Mishra.
GSR is made by a software technology company. But it is not at all about technology – it is a very emotional and touching story primarily about old friendships. Nothing about software at all. But wait – throughout the movie, several times the various characters use software technology from the maker of this film – so it is about software. But we don’t notice this at all – and this is part of the beauty of this film – it shows both that certain technologies have become such a very natural part of our lives that we don’t even think about them, and also that these technologies are now universally used in the exact same manner by youth all across the world. More importantly, it demonstrates powerfully how these technologies might be able to help rebuild bridges and create a new reality based on friendship and commonality.
I could write more – but it is best to watch it yourself. I mentioned that I would tell you how short it is: 3:33. No, not three hours and thirty-three minutes – but three minutes and thirty-three seconds! It is also free (because it is, of course, in reality an advertisement). It was released three days ago on YouTube, and – three days later – has over three million views! Here it is – hope you like it. Thanks Google!
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