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Critical reception: removed erroneous space

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{{Use Indian English|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Crossing Bridges
| image = Crossing Bridges Film Poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Film Poster
| director = [[Sange Dorjee Thongdok]]
| producer = [[Sange Dorjee Thongdok]]<br>[[Tenzing Norbu Thongdok]]
| writer = [[Sange Dorjee Thongdok]]
| starring = [[Anshu Jamsenpa]]<br>Phuntsu Khrime
| music = Anjo John
| cinematography = Pooja Gupte
| editing = Sanglap Bhowmick
| studio = Easel Films
| distributor = [[PVR Director's Rare]]
| released = {{Film date|2013|09|27|[[Mumbai International Film Festival|MIFF]]|2014|08|29|India|df=yes}}
| runtime = 103 minutes
| country = India
| language = [[Shertukpen]]
| budget = [[Rupee|Rs]] 3,500,000
| gross =
}}
'''''Crossing Bridges''''' is a 2013 [[Indian Cinema|Indian film]] directed by Sange Dorjee Thongdok. It is the first feature film ever to be made in the language of [[Shertukpen]], which is an indigenous dialect native to the state [[Arunachal Pradesh]] in [[India]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Crossing Bridges to Release in August|url=http://dearcinema.com/news/national-award-winner-crossing-bridges-release-august-29/1328|publisher=DearCinema|accessdate=22 July 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140724171208/http://dearcinema.com/news/national-award-winner-crossing-bridges-release-august-29/1328|archivedate=24 July 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The film premiered on 27 September at the [[Mumbai International Film Festival]] in 2013. It received the [[Discontinued and Intermittent National Film Awards|National Film Award for Best Film in Shertukpen]] in 2013.

==Synopsis==
A middle-aged man named Tashi returns to his native village in [[Arunachal Pradesh]] after losing his job. As he waits for word of any new openings in the city, the culture and history of his people begins to have a profound effect on him and force him to reconsider his life and career choices.

==Production==
Director Sange Dorjee's idea for the film started when he was considering the social and economic displacement of tribal peoples of [[India]]. He mentioned that "My generation has had to leave home to get better higher-education and employment outside as the north eastern region doesn’t have the required infrastructure. The huge cultural difference we faced outside was always a shock to many. Coming back home has always been a difficult proposition, as after years of adjusting to the life outside we suddenly feel like an outsider in our own culture."<ref>{{cite web|title=Interview with Sange Dorjee |url=http://dearcinema.com/interview/interview-sange-dorjee-director-crossing-bridges/4652 |publisher=DearCinema |accessdate=22 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708060642/http://dearcinema.com/interview/interview-sange-dorjee-director-crossing-bridges/4652 |archivedate=8 July 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref>

Due to the film's microbudget, which was wholly funded by the director's father who "believed it was important for the community of Arunachal Pradesh", Dorjee decided to shoot the movie completely with a Canon 5D camera. He was surprised by the quality of such a standard personal use camera that he and cinematographer Pooja Gupte went ahead with it.<ref>{{cite web|title=Interview with Sange Dorjee |url=http://dearcinema.com/interview/interview-sange-dorjee-director-crossing-bridges/4652 |publisher=DearCinema |accessdate=22 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708060642/http://dearcinema.com/interview/interview-sange-dorjee-director-crossing-bridges/4652 |archivedate=8 July 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref>

==Critical reception==

''Crossing Bridges'' opened to positive acclaim amongst critics. Pooja Gupte's cinematography and the theme of 're-discovering home' were particularly praised, while the films limited appeal to mass audiences but large appeal to film enthusiasts and cinephiles were noted.

Suprateek Chatterjee of ''[[Firstpost|FirstPost]]'' praised the film's simplicity in its production and compared the film to ''[[Swades]]'' stating, "At a time when movies are pulling every trick in the book in an attempt to lure in audiences, Crossing Bridges relies on getting the basics right and transporting its audience to another world" <ref>{{cite web|title=Crossing Bridges is Swades in the Northeast|url=http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/crossing-bridges-review-swades-set-village-arunachal-pradesh-1686215.html|publisher=FirstPost|accessdate=1 September 2014}}</ref>

[[Subhash K. Jha]] of ''Odisha Sun Times'' gave the film a '''3/5''' saying, "It’s that supreme serenity, the splendid synthesis of ambiance and mood that qualifies and eventually absorbs our interest. These dull lives are unique in their absolute lack of affectations."<ref>{{cite web|title=Small Film, Big Heart|url=http://odishasuntimes.com/82751/film-review-crossing-bridges-small-film-big-heart/|publisher=Odisha Sun Times|accessdate=21 September 2014}}</ref>

Johnson Thomas of ''[[The Free Press Journal]]'' gave a positive review and praised the cinematography stating "The cinematography by Pooja Gupte, who shot the film in Cannon 5D is simply breathtaking, allowing for a gradual cultural immurement in the land and its spiritual enchantment. The narrative is kept spare and economical by editor Sanglap Bhowmick , while the story-telling limits itself to being drawn on realism rather than melodrama. Needless to say, this film is a completely enveloping experience."<ref>{{cite web|title=A Haunting Engagement|url=http://freepressjournal.in/a-haunting-engagement/|publisher=The Free Press Journal|accessdate=1 September 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309180734/http://www.freepressjournal.in/a-haunting-engagement|archivedate=9 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Pronoti Datta of ''Mumbai Boss'' e-magazine gave the film '''3/5''' and stated, "The state is shown in all its picturesque glory: rolling green valleys, Buddhist monasteries, tribal dancers, phlegmatic villagers with faces weathered by the elements, fast-flowing brooks, snow-dusted trees and so on. But it’s not just pretty images. Thongdok’s quiet film in Shertukpen, a dialect spoken in the western part of Arunachal Pradesh, is about a man seduced by his own homeland, which circumstances compel him to revisit."<ref>{{cite web|title=Nuanced Tale of Homecoming|url=http://mumbaiboss.com/2014/08/27/crossing-bridges-is-a-nuanced-tale-of-homecoming-in-arunachal-pradesh/|publisher=Mumbai Boss|accessdate=1 September 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.is/20140902035803/http://mumbaiboss.com/2014/08/27/crossing-bridges-is-a-nuanced-tale-of-homecoming-in-arunachal-pradesh/|archivedate=2 September 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

E-magazine ''India News Hub'' summarized the film as "an honest, return-to-roots story set against a captivating backdrop." in a positive review.<ref>{{cite web|title=Coming Home|url=http://indianewshub.com/crossing-bridges-film-review-coming-home-never-looked-good/|publisher=India News Hub|accessdate=1 September 2014}}</ref>

''BollywoodTrade'' an online trade magazine was much more critical of the film, giving it a '''1.5/5''' mentioning how the film has a very little appeal to India's mass audience saying, "many of the short, interesting, dramatic, and visually appealing occasional glimpses are not well integrated into the main narrative. That’s why the film looks disjointed and incoherent."<ref>{{cite web|title=For Indie Film Fans Only|url=http://www.bollywoodtrade.com/movie-reviews-news/crossing-bridges-movie-review-a-must-watch-film-for-independent-low-budget-filmmakers/1303.htm|publisher=BollywoodTrade|accessdate=1 September 2014}}</ref>

Anup Pandey of e-magazine ''W14'' gave the film '''3.5/5''' saying, "For many such metaphors that the film is built on, Crossing Bridges is quite a revealing journey of a search for identity and to find answers to where does one actually belong."<ref>{{cite web|title=Homecoming|url=http://thew14.com/2014/08/29/crossing-bridges-review-by-anup-pandey/|publisher=W14|accessdate=1 September 2014}}</ref>

Siraj Syed of ''FilmFestival.com'' gave the film a '''3/5''' saying, "If you are likely to be moved to deep emotions and tears by the idea of a Mumbai-based IT professional rediscovering his remote countryside roots in North-East India, and making the life-defining move of permanent homecoming, you will most likely feel you have a seen a minor classic."<ref>{{cite web|title=Country Roads, Take Me Home|url=http://www.filmfestivals.com/blog/siraj_syed/crossing_bridges_review_country_roads_take_me_home?page=8|publisher=FilmFestival.com|accessdate=1 September 2014}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|2271275}}

[[Category:2013 films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Northeast Indian films]]

Crossing Bridges (film) - Revision history

>SdkbBot: /* Critical reception */removed erroneous space