This week at the movies: Identitti

Randa Chahoud tells a story that is very much in tune with the times in her film adaptation of Mithu Sanyal's bestseller "Identitti." In it, a student named Nivedita makes a momentous discovery while watering the flowers in her professor's apartment: Saraswati, a celebrated expert in postcolonial studies and prominent author, is not at all the person of color she claims to be. Her real name is Sarah Vera Thielmann, and she has no Indian background. Nivedita, the daughter of a Polish mother and an Indian father, is devastated. Ever since her early childhood, she has asked herself so many questions about her identity - and Saraswati seemed to have the answers. When one of Nivedita's friends spreads the revelation on social media, the scandal is in full swing. But Nivedita sets out to uncover the reasons behind the deception - and receives unexpected help in the form of her alter ego, Kaali… Who is allowed to tell which story? And is it possible to say the right things even while acting wrongly? - With stylized elements and plenty of humor, yet remaining grounded in reality, the film reflects current discussions and dynamics surrounding topics like identity, cultural appropriation, and cancel culture in a refreshingly undogmatic way. Thanks in part to the outstanding lead actresses Amanda Babaei Vieira as Nivedita and Stephanie Eidt as Saraswati, "Identitti" has become a satire for our times that is as clever as it is funny.