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No Bed of Roses Movie Review

No Bed of Roses is a 2017 Bangladeshi drama film directed by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki and starring Irrfan Khan and Nusrat Imrose Tisha. It’s a very difficult, very well made drama.

As a noted filmmaker’s infidelity turns into a media firestorm, his fractured family privately navigate the fallout of his actions for years to come. This is a very unique film about the breaking apart of marriage and entire family that is about cheating, but it never once focuses on the sex aspect of it. It doesn’t show sex. Its square focus lies on the emotional reactions and the dissolution of marriage and that I found to be a fantastic narrative choice.

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I didn’t quite care for that ending, though. It was both messy and unsatisfactory in its conclusion. There are sections in the movie where the pacing grinds to a halt and too many parts are overly concerned with wide shots, slow takes and no storytelling at all. Yes, it makes for an emotional, moody experience, but the movie needed to have been more eventful with at least a couple of more plot points added.

The acting is one of the best aspects of the film. Not only did Nusrat Imrose Tisha deliver a phenomenal, truly wonderful performance in such a complex role, but Irrfan Khan once again impressed everybody with his immense acting talent. He sold every one of his emotions and was just a highlight throughout.

The family drama is the core of the movie. The wife and husband falling apart was painful to watch and some of their conversations were both uncomfortable and heartbreaking. The daughter having a fraught relationship with her father was stupendously explored too. Other characters needed more development, though, especially the new girlfriend.

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No Bed of Roses has fine music, but most of it is forgettable. The cinematography is definitely accomplished at making you feel distance between the characters, but again the pacing was too slow. The directing is solid, but the movie’s first half was significantly better and more memorable than the narratively problematic second half.

No Bed of Roses is slowly paced and unsatisfactory in its second half and ending, but the first half is great and the movie is particularly strong in its storytelling approach that focuses on the complex emotions in a marriage after cheating happens. The performances are terrific, especially that of the great Irrfan Khan, and the cinematography is quite accomplished, particularly in the framing of certain shots.

My Rating – 4