Bombay Rose

A rough film to watch as despite its visual style the animation is extremely basic and the core romance of the story is far from convincing. But the film avoids the tropes of tragedy within poverty by conveying a sense of rebirth through death, that even if we're at the bottom and experience loss there is still something to celebrate in life. It does not wallow in the depression of the lower class; instead, it tells us that even in the worst of slums there is still something to value.

After getting over the slog of the first half of this animation, the story picks up considerably. It's unfortunate that the main focus is on the tropy and predictably tragic love affair between Kamala and Salim when the movie teases far more interesting premises of the English teacher and her lost love and the mute little boy who after initial opposition becomes the mantle heir to the watchmaker. Animation and music left me uninspired.