How a bus chase became an accidental film festival

Last Thursday, February 6, I learnt an important lesson: if you've crossed fifty, never run to catch a bus. Instead, wait for the next one, take an autorickshaw or call an Uber. 

That evening, I ran, ducked, leaped and dodged like an African gazelle to catch a bus leaving the railway station in suburban Mumbai, when my knees buckled and I nearly fell. A sharp pain shot through my leg, as if someone had struck me hard with a stick or fired a bullet into my calf. A couple of passersby helped me up and I managed to hail an autorickshaw home. By then, I was in agony and fighting back tears.

The injury forced me to stay home—or rather, work from home—for nearly two weeks. I was advised complete rest: no travel, no unnecessary movement, and no yoga either. The physician didn't think it was a tear and therefore didn't recommend an x-ray or scan. He prescribed ice and heat packs, painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication, a pain-relieving balm, my trusted homoeopathy, and plenty of pampering from the family. The calf is still sore, but it is much better.

With little to do, I spent my days at home reading, watching movies and listening to old music. Here is a recap of the films, mostly from Netflix and a few from cable TV.

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Red Joan, 2018: Loosely based on a true story, the film follows widow Joan Stanley (Judi Dench), who is interrogated by British intelligence decades after allegedly passing atomic bomb secrets to the Soviets during WWII. Convinced that she was acting in Britain's best interests, Joan believes that maintaining a balance of power between the Americans and the Soviets would help preserve peace. Told largely through a series of flashbacks, Red Joan makes for an interesting watch.

Beirut, 2018: Set in war-torn Beirut in the 1980s, the film follows Mason Skiles (Jon Hamm), a widowed and washed-up former US diplomat who is drawn back to Lebanon to negotiate the release of a friend and colleague being held hostage by a PLO faction. I liked the film partly because I have followed events in the Middle East since the 1980s.

We Bought A Zoo, 2011: Rich widower Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) and his children buy a country estate, only to find that the deal includes the zoo that comes with it. The film also stars Scarlett Johansson as his love interest and Thomas Haden Church as his brother. Based on the book by Benjamin Mee, We Bought A Zoo is a warm and enjoyable family drama. 

The Kominsky Method, 2018: This is the kind of story I'd like to write. The series follows two ageing friends—acting coach Sandy Kominsky (Michael Douglas) and his longtime agent Norman Newlander (Alan Arkin)—as they navigate the ups and downs of life together. With humour, wit and warmth, they confront old age, cynicism, loneliness, illness and personal loss. It was one of the best things I watched on television during my enforced stay at home.

Lucky, 2017: Harry Dean Stanton was apparently 91 when he played Lucky, a reclusive Navy veteran living in a small Arizona town. The film follows his rigid daily routine until one day he collapses at home. Although remarkably healthy for his age, the incident forces him to confront the realities of ageing and mortality. Lucky offers a profound insight into one man's philosophical journey and features some memorable dialogue along the way. Stanton, who died before the film's release, looks every bit his age, and that makes the story poignant from the start.

The Big Short, 2015: Another true-life story about the 2007–08 US financial crisis, triggered by the collapse of the housing market. Remember subprime mortgages? This one largely went over my head, though it is based on Michael Lewis’s book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine.

The Hard Way, 2019: Payne (Michael Jai White), a retired soldier turned bar owner, travels to Romania to avenge the death of his brother, a secret operative. He finds a capable ally in Mason (Luke Goss), his brother's former teammate. Avoidable.

Boy Erased, 2018: Jared Eamons (Lucas Hedges), the son of preacher Marshall Eamons (Russell Crowe) and Nancy Eamons (Nicole Kidman), is forced into a church-backed gay conversion programme. I found the film rather disturbing. How can parents do such a thing to their children? Accepting and loving one's child should never be a parental issue. The film's emotional climax comes when Jared tells his father: "I'm gay, and I'm your son. And neither of those things are going to change. Okay? So let's deal with that!" By that point, it is hard not to wonder who really needs 'conversion' therapy? The film is based on Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith and Family by Garrard Conley.

In the end, what began with a painful dash for a bus turned into an accidental film festival at home.