My Melbourne Movie Review- Heartwarming Anthology That Explores Diversity in Australia

Directed by Onir, Imtiaz Ali, Rima Das and Kabir Khan, ‘My Melbourne’ is an anthology with four short films or segments, following the journeys of people who live in the costal town of Melbourne, and explores the theme of diversity in terms of sexuality, race, disability and gender.

The first segment of the anthology is ‘Nandini’, a story of a young man living with his boyfriend, whose estranged father visits him after his mother’s death. The story explores the themes of death, grief, loss, family, and acceptance. The second story called ‘Jules’ tells the story of an Indian girl who moves to Australia after her marriage, and follows her journey of confidence and self worth. The next one is titled ‘Emma’, a story of a young and talented deaf dancer. It shows the challenges she has to face because of her disability and how she overcomes them. The last one ‘Setara’ sees an Afghani refugee in Australia trying to adapt to the new environment and make a new life for herself and her family there.

The film beautifully portrays the diversity of the characters and their journeys of finding themselves. It also captures the essence of Melbourne with the visuals of the trams, local streets, parks and the natural elements. The soundtrack beautifully encompasses the characters situations and feelings, making the viewers feel more connected to the audience, while the cast also does a wonderful job at portraying their respective characters to also make a connection

Though the film does try to keep the audience hooked, somewhere the stories get stretched out, leaving the viewers feeling bored. The film also failed to create a connection among the characters and different stories, by not having interaction among them, which could have been a full circle moment.

Overall, this heartwarming film, with roller coaster of emotions is worth watching.

Rating- 3/5