Some films take awhile to get into, such is the case with Ian Harnarine’s latest Doubles. The film follows the story of a young Trinidadian street vendor named Dhani (Sanjiv Boodhu) who makes his way to Toronto to confront his estranged father to ask him to help the family he left behind years earlier. Dhani discovers however that things aren’t exactly as he thought they were. For starters, his father is sick, very sick, and without a bone marrow transplant he will die. He also doesn’t have any money to help, in fact he lives in the basement of someone else’s home. There is one solution however, Dhani’s dad could sign over the deed to the plot of land his family has owned for generations.
Doubles starts off very slowly, and it is pretty hard to get into. As the story progresses however, the characters draw you into their lives and make you care about them. It tells the story of a father and son who don’t really know each other, or the lives the other has lived. It’s a complicated mess of emotions further muddied by estranged relationships and loss. It tells the story of hidden sacrifices parents are sometimes forced to make. It also begs us to forgive parents for mistakes they may have made along the way.
Doubles is at times full of raw emotion, but at other times it will warm your heart and make you laugh. It shows you that what we think we know, isn’t always the truth. It should also open our eyes to the plight many immigrants feel when they come to a different country for what they believe will be a better way of life. It’s a slice of life many of us just don’t pay attention to.
- Rated: NR
- Genre: Drama
- Release Date: 3/18/2024
- Directed by: Ian Harnarine
- Starring: Errol Sitahal, Rashaana Cumberbatch, Sanjiv Boodhu
- Produced by: Mark Andrew Sirju
- Written by: Ian Harnarine
