Hotel Salvation, in the holy Hindu city of Varanasi situated on the banks of the most sacred Ganges River, is a place dedicated to people’s death transition.
After a particular dream, 77-year-old Dayanand Kumar is convinced his time has come and insists to his very busy but dedicated son Rajiv that he will go to Varanasi to end the cycle of rebirth and achieve salvation. Rajiv has no choice but to rearrange his busy life and make the journey with his father. Rajiv feels this is a fool’s errand and tries pointlessly to convince his determined father to return home. Daya and Rajiv check in at Hotel Salvation, much to his son’s disapproval, and as the days go by Rajiv struggles to keep his busy life from unraveling whilst his father blossoms in this unusual hotel.
Everything is for sale in this holiest of places where bare foot pilgrims and tourists flock in vast colourful numbers buying figurines of Lord Shiva or small bottles of Ganges water, whilst slurping sweet chai and trying all manner of alluring elixirs of life. Against the frenetic backdrop of this exotic place, father and son dance around each other’s resentments trying to find a way in to connect to one another meaningfully before it is too late.
Sunday 20th August
102 min
15+
Film Festival
