‘Compound’ will strike a real chord with a lot of you. Not because of some overly dramatic theme or some convoluted narrative twist, but because of what the short film is trying to actually convey through its story. Written by Ranjith Moukod and directed by the team at the RK Mangalore Studio, ‘Compound’ is a film about blossoming friendship and compassion in the times we live in.
With an ongoing pandemic and everything that follows with it, it has, for a lot of us, become relatively easier to be absorbed in our lives. And while that may not be all bad, it does stand to reason that people, all over the world, are slowly losing touch with what’s around them. That comes off as a little harsh, I know. What I mean to say is that, while necessary, in an increasingly digitally engrossed world, more isolation during the pandemic, sometimes, can lead to a pronounced disinterest in the people and things we used to know.
‘Compound’, then, is a short film that touches on this very thread. We follow two boys, of school-going age, Saurav and Nandu. With their school shut and all the course load and the classes being taught online, Saurav and Nandu have come to find themselves at a loss and slightly nostalgic for the lives they used to know. With the two of them sharing a wall between their houses, on account of them being neighbours, Saurav and Nandu are consistently attempting to meet each other, much to the chagrin of Saurav’s father.
Trivial problems, right? True. It does make you think, however. For a lot of us adults, life, as we knew it, had come to a halt. Things did move on, eventually. But what about the lives of children? What about the kids that went to school and then came home to meet their friends? What are their lives like at this moment?
Diving a little deeper, it is only when the exams loom around the corner, that the boys find themselves in a bit of a conundrum. Nandu, just recently, had his phone broken by his father. With no other way for Nandu to appear for his online exams, the boys get down to formulating a plan that lets Nandu attend his classes and appear for the exams.
Ranjith Moukod does not attempt a narrative spectacle with ‘Compound’. On the contrary, Moukod opts for a slightly more grounded story about the mundane. In doing so, he manages to concoct a message for the time that we find ourselves living in. It’s incredibly important that we understand the message he is trying to relay because it applies to everyone we rub shoulders with, from that lone vendor selling vegetables in your neighbourhood to that friend of yours having a tough time. It’s vital to be safe but also critical to be compassionate.
Watch ‘Compound’. It’s a slice of our own lives in this pandemic.
