[Fantasia International Film Festival Review]: Dui Shaw

Waqt

Having had its Canadian premiere at this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival, the Bengali language anthology film Dui Shaw showcases four stories based around South Asian folklore. Following on from the 2023 Pett Kata Saw, director and writer Nuhash Humayun has combined four episodes into a feature length movie for international release. 

Beginning with the violent Waqt which portrays a group of men who have committed a religious based crime experience bloody consequences for their actions. Every time a call for prayer is sounded, one of the group has hallucinatory experiences which causes them to carry out suicide. With a commentary on why one shouldn’t mess with forces beyond their comprehension, this first segment has strong potential to be its own feature length film. 

Bhaggo Bhalo

Second is Bhaggo Bhalo which follows a down and out street fortune teller struggling to pay for his mother’s life saving medical expenses. After breaking the golden rule of palmistry (ie) never read your own palm, the fortune teller’s luck begins to turn around, receiving riches and fame as well as his mother miraculously receiving a kidney donation. However, as most monkey paw-esque stories play out, the outcome of his wishes carry a consequence. 

Antara

The highlight of Dui Shaw lies in the third segment of Antara. Terrifyingly triggering, the episode explores a controlling and abusive relationship, as well as gender roles within marriage. The titular character is a young woman married to an older writer. Day after day she experiences the same routine, until she meets a young girl who tells her that Antara was previously married to another man. With no recollection of her time before marrying the writer, Antara begins to come to the realization that her life may not be all it seems. With a time loop being used as the spine of the segment, Antara is a demonic spin on losing one’s identity being trapped in a suffocating partnership.

Beshura

Closing Dui Shaw is a musical number called Beshura which portrays a Bangladeshi village, whose community ostracises a little girl for not being able to sing in key. With commentary on society’s treatment of women who do not fit into a preassigned role, this segment is completely unexpected, but with humorous inclusions of cannibals and witches, still feels like it deserves its place in this horror anthology. 

Despite a slight lag in the middle, where Dui Shaw succeeds is its portrayal of all facets of South Asian life, both horrific and vibrant, as well as its depiction of the folk lore which deserves a seat at the horror cinema table. 

3 Screams out of 5