The Waiting City (2009)

A mystic-infused love story that follows a young couple's journey to India to collect their adopted baby.

Director:

Claire McCarthy

Writer:

Claire McCarthy

Stars:

Radha Mitchell, Joel Edgerton, Samrat Chakrabarti

3 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Radha Mitchell	...	Fiona Simmons
Joel Edgerton	...	Ben Simmons
Samrat Chakrabarti	...	Krishna
Isabel Lucas	...	Scarlett
Tillotama Shome	...	Sister Tessila
Barun Chanda	...	Doctor Khan
Dana Roy	...	Sister Agnes
Tamal Ray Chowdhury	...	Uncle
Tanushree Shankar	...	Didi Chatterjee
Palomi Ghosh	...	Urmi (as Paulomi Ghosh)
Kalyan Chatterjee	...	Pharmacist
Kamalendu Danerjee	...	Airport Official
Jeremy Sims	...	Carlisle
Shankar Haldar	...	Feroz
Soumitra Saha	...	Blind Man

Storyline

An outwardly happy Australian couple journey to Calcutta to collect their adopted baby, but on arrival find that the arrangements have yet to be finalized. Soon, the intoxicating mystic power of the Indian city pulls them in separate and unexpected directions, and the vulnerability of their marriage begins to reveal itself.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brief sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 July 2010 (Australia)

Filming Locations:

Barrackpore, West Bengal, India

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

See Pictures, Sol Films, Speaking Tree Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 108 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Rashda: [on the phone] Fiona? Fiona...
Fiona Simmons: Rashda?
Rashda: Can you hear me?
Fiona Simmons: Yeah.
Rashda: Do you have a minute?
Fiona Simmons: I have the documents with me.
Rashda: I hope you know what you're doing.
Fiona Simmons: Absolutely. I'm fine taking them with me.

User Reviews

Not bad, but perhaps too slow-paced for some.

"You must act out of love, not desperation or need."

I've yet to see a movie set in India that wasn't a visual treat to watch, and The Waiting City definitely earns it's place on that list. The story, about an Australian couple come to Kolkata to adopt a child in the hopes that it will fix their strained relationship, is also interesting, even though I thought it stumbled into predictable, melodramatic territory at times. This is sort of an emotional coming of age story for the two main characters, both as individuals and a couple. The transition from who they are at the beginning to who they are at the end isn't exactly handled in the most organic way, but it is mostly believable.

The movie dabbles in ideas about faith and spirituality, as well, but in a very unfocused way.

I recommend The Waiting City to those interested in India, fans of Radha Mitchell or Joel Edgerton, and movie fans comfortable with subdued, personal storytelling that takes its time to get where it's going.