It is good when there is a place to go “to escape” "House of Salvation" - the English version of the name does not speak about the house, but only about the hotel ... but it is probably really about the house ... but about everything in order.
Okay. The house of salvation. The film shows the situation that is quite common for Hindus - the father of the family is going to leave this world and his body, but for this he wants to go to the holy city of Varanasi. The Hindus believe that if you leave the body in this city, you will find liberation from further rebirths. You can relate to the idea of reincarnation and liberation. The film came to me from a completely different angle. We see on the screen a typical Indian family, where death is clearly not the place and not only her. The grandfather talks about his decision to leave the world, and he is asked “Why now?” and asked to wait a few months before the wedding of his granddaughter. And this is not India, comrades. This is our world.
I thought it was great to have a place to go away from all the fuss and misunderstanding of the people close to you. Nursing homes may not be such a cynical phenomenon in our lives, but in the West the attitude towards death and old age is quite different from in the East, in India. People come to the Salvation Hotel (which is actually an ashram) to begin their journey to death. In this philosophical approach, there is room for the sad comic of the situation. In order to die, the hotel administration allocates exactly two weeks. If you don’t “successfully” fit in, then die in another ashram or hotel. The bureaucratism of the Hindus even makes its way into matters of life and death. Sometimes the “dying” are accompanied for these two weeks by their children and relatives. There is a contrast between the relaxation and tension of two generations. It is better to meet death alone, in my opinion. To leave life gradually, not in any way among the ebullient activities of their children and grandchildren. There's wisdom in that. It’s good to have somewhere to go. Because dying in an empty apartment will only bring pain. The Salvation Hotel truly becomes the home of salvation in this piquant matter of life and death, as does the city of Varanasi as a whole. Despite the dark theme and the abundance of death scenes, there is no room for despondency or fear in this film. The days are numbered, but the elderly are alive: they do yoga on the banks of the Ganges, watch a television show in the evenings, humor and sometimes become capricious. And among these natural and mundane things go unnoticed. At all. No drama.
Someone has enough for this two allotted weeks, and someone waits 18 years. Against the background of this general expectation, the film touches on the most vital issues, so I cannot say that the film is about dying old people or about death. It's about life, but looking at the other end. In the film there are no complex plot interweavings, heated passions. Although many conflicts arise, it is mainly the issue of fathers and children, traditions and choices. And the film is diluted with comic situations and good humor, with a slight black shade. If you are looking for a calm and meditative viewing, you will enjoy the film. I got exactly what I wanted and was looking for from watching, so I bet 10 out of 10 (without any ratings of music, acting, directing and all that).
10 out of 10