By Ali Grutchfield
Parents are constantly encouraging their children to find passions and pursue life with unfettered determination. Mohit Modi’s The Autograph creatively explores the empowerment that kids aspire to and examines the strength to be found in intrinsic motivation.
The Autograph is the story of a young boy’s downward spiral from being an avid fan to an obsessed one. After receiving an autograph from his favorite celebrity singer, Shaunak stops washing his hand in order to preserve it. His obsession leads to a series of unfortunate events that ultimately hurt everyone close to him and leaves them feeling under the weather. Shaunak’s biggest disappointment comes when he lets his obsession get so out of control that he misses seeing his idol live at the television finale.
Lessons aimed at children are often unrealistic, but Modi defies this tendency and successfully simplifies obsession to an idea that young kids can understand. By capitalizing on relatability and having Shaunak stop washing his hand, the story transcends audiences of all ages.
The overall theme of The Autograph is simple and very well communicated. However, I found the length of the film and the number of characters distracting and fostering boredom. Once the theme of the story is established, there are too many superfluous scenes that detract from the obstacles Shaunak encounters. Although the additional scenes do provide buildup and excitement for the “Singing Superstar” finale, they overshadow the main conflict.
I would give The Autograph 3.5/5 stars
Ali Grutchfield is a junior pursuing Film and Television Production at the Savannah College of Art and Design. She spends her time producing both visual and written content for District, the school’s online news platform, being President of the SCAD’s Film Club, producing and editing student films, reading mystery novels, and drinking coffee with her cat, Jingle.
Recent Comments