Trishna
Transplanting the well-loved tragic romance of Thomas Hardy's classic novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles to India, Michael Winterbottom (A MIGHTY HEART, THE TRIP) trains his masterful lense towards one of the brightest young stars of a generation, Freida Pinto (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE), in TRISHNA. Pinto soars in her most revealing performance yet--the eldest daughter or a poor family in Rajasthan, India. She works in a nearby resort to help pay the bills. Jay (Riz Ahmed, FOUR LIONS) is the wealthy son of a property developer who takes up managing the resort at his father's request. When he meets Trishna at a dance, their fates become intertwined. Jay finds every opportunity to win Trishna's affection and she accepts his efforts with shy curiosity. But when the two move to Mumbai and become a couple, Jay's deep family bond threatens the young lovers' bliss.
Reviews from Rotten Tomatoes
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Life is suffering, as the Buddha said (including in Hardy's emotionally grinding novels), but it's more complex and contradictory than the ginned-up realism Mr. Winterbottom delivers here.
Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 07.12.2012 -
As a portrait of a nation amid accelerated and profound change, "Trishna" is a vivid piece of cinema. As a melodrama, it's provocative without being emotionally involving, the central performance more distancing than engaging.
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times, 07.12.2012 -
Something in Hardy's tragic inclinations obviously appeals to Winterbottom; this is the third time he's adapted one of the author's novels, with the liberties he takes with the source material increasing each time.
Ian Buckwalter, NPR, 07.12.2012 -
This is one of the best and bravest of recent adaptations of classic literature; if you're even a little bit intrigued, ignore what others say and don't let it pass you by.
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com, 07.12.2012
