Pather Panchali

This didn’t fully win me over until the last half hour. Until that point I viewed it as a rather straightforward realist-sentimental family drama, with some coming-of-age tale elements mixed in — as far as those themes go it was exceptional, but there’s probably a threshhold beyond which I cannot love a film of that type. Just not something that interests me deeply, unless it veers off into unusually appealing territory. It does so in the last half hour, becomes something profoundly moving and humane. In light of the ending the hour and a half that preceded it feels more clearly focused, perfectly laid out — I suspect on second viewing I will only love this film more.