It is suddenly feeling a little too heavy during this time,” I said, changing the pace of our conversation from the familiar. My mother’s brevity is reminiscent of Kusruti’s portrayal of a rigid, imposed stoicism in AWIAL around the topic of loneliness. Do we not see her eyes look downward in shame and sadness when her husband and daughter make fun of her? My mother, like Prabha and Anila, lives despite the loneliness and not through it. From The Hindu cinema team, a fortnightly column recommending films and shows tied to a mood, theme, or pop-cultural event.