The Disciple

Directed by Chaitanya Tamhane, The Disciple explores the degree to which a man devotes his life to Indian classical music and its rigorous practices. It’s interesting subject matter that’s employed to sporadically watchable yet generally uninvolving effect by Tamhane, as the writer/director delivers a punishingly deliberate drama that is, for the most part, unable to wholeheartedly capture the viewer’s interest – with the exceedingly (and excessively) slow atmosphere compounded by an uneventful narrative that contains little in the way of forward momentum. There’s ultimately little doubt that Tamhane is going for a meditative sort of feel, as The Disciple‘s myriad of attributes, including a spare storyline and Michal Sobocinski’s meticulous visuals, certainly go a long way towards perpetuating an internal, contemplative vibe. And although the central character’s journey is, in the grand scheme of things, decidedly quite fascinating – this is, after all, a man who’s essentially sacrificed his own happiness for music – The Disciple suffers from an overly drawn-out execution that does, in the end, cancel out its handful of positive attributes (ie it’s not difficult envision the picture working a whole lot better had it been trimmed of about 45 minutes).

** out of ****