Vanvaas deals with the brittle relationship between a father and son which starts with a slap and ends with a hug. The son starts his own business, brings in new things in the house, and the father sees his influence on his son (and in the household) diminish.

Set a cold but cosy world, the film knows that a fight doesn't just break off a family, there isn't just a single explosion, people don't leave homes and never talk to each other. Most of the times, the conflicts are internalized and the family just moves on. People close themselves off from each other, things become quieter in the home, more colorless. Until something bursts again, an emotional catharsis that can either be a reconciliation or a final break.

The cinematography is really subtle, and the narrative really relies on visual cues (the way the  to tells a lot of the story from the mother's POV or the clothes that the characters wear, or how sunlight only breaks out in the end) to tell its story.

Vanwaas was directed by Sandeep Modi, and stars Piyush Misra, Ayesha Raza Mirza & Prabal Panjabi. You can read more about Sandeep and his other work in our InFocus section.