Anuparna Roy’s Songs of Forgotten Trees offers striking visuals and promise, but its fragile bond between women feels underdeveloped.
Writer & Director: Anuparna Roy
Genre: Drama
Run Time: 77′
Venice World Premiere: September 1, 2025 (Orizzonti)
U.S. Release Date: TBA
U.K. Release Date: TBA
Anuparna Roy’s Songs of Forgotten Trees is a quiet film about two women drifting through Mumbai, trying to carve out a sense of belonging in a city that rarely pauses for anyone. For a first-time filmmaker, Roy shows a sharp eye; her frames carry a painterly quality, often filled with warm colors that paradoxically feel drained of life, as if to suggest how loneliness lingers even in vibrancy.
The opening sequence, with shots of trees, buildings, and a disembodied voice singing against the noise of passing trains, sets the tone beautifully. It gives the sense that the city itself is alive, breathing, and watching its inhabitants struggle to find footing.
Soon after, we are introduced to Thooya (Naaz Shaikh), but tellingly, it’s not through her own perspective. It’s through the eyes of Swetha (Sumi Baghel), who observes her new roommate in the middle of a heated argument with her brother about their father’s funeral. That framing already tells us how these women will always remain, to some degree, mysteries to one another.
The heart of the film lies in this relationship between Thooya and Swetha, though calling it a friendship might be overstating it. They share space, meals, silences, but by the end of the film, they still feel like strangers navigating each other’s orbit rather than forming a real bond. This choice could have been intentional, an illustration of how modern urban life fosters connections that are more fragile than we realize, but narratively, it leaves the film emotionally underpowered. The performances by Naaz Shaikh and Sumi Baghel are competent, yet both actresses seem constrained by thinly written roles that never give them room to expand beyond the surface.
Several scenes feel oddly disconnected from the main story, as if included to pad the runtime rather than deepen character or theme. For example, there’s a brief moment where Swetha sits outside, gazing at trees for only a few seconds. It’s a fleeting, wordless image that could have held weight with more context, but here it comes and goes without resonance. The film’s tendency to circle around its ideas rather than dig into them is what ultimately makes Songs of Forgotten Trees feel like untapped potential.
Still, Roy’s visual sensibility is pretty impressive for a first time filmmaker. The contrast of lush colors with a lifeless atmosphere reflects her characters’ emotional dislocation with striking clarity. She is reaching for something: a movie that’s more meditative than plot-driven; while the execution wavers, her instincts are promising. Songs of Forgotten Trees may not fully blossom into what it wants to be, but it suggests that Roy is a filmmaker to watch. With sharper writing and more trust in her performers, she has the potential to deliver something truly special down the road.
Songs of Forgotten Trees: Movie Plot & Recap
Synopsis:
A migrant actress in Mumbai sublets her apartment to a corporate worker. Despite their different backgrounds, the two women develop an unexpected connection beyond being roommates.
Pros:
- Distinct and unique visual style
- Striking color palette that contrasts vibrancy with emptiness
- Strong sense of atmosphere in the opening and city sequences
- Promising debut that shows Roy’s directorial instincts
Cons:
- Central relationship never develops into true intimacy
- Performances feel limited by thinly written characters
- Some scenes feel random or unnecessary, adding little to the story
- Emotional impact remains underdeveloped despite potential
Songs of Forgotten Trees had its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2025, in Orizzonti.
