Declaration(HKAFF 2022)

The first Malayalam-language film to feature in the prestigious Locarno Film Festival, Declaration incisively illustrates the divisions that exist even between people in supposed homogenous societies. Hareesh and Reshmi are immigrants from the Indian state of Kerala, working blue-collar jobs in a Delhi factory during the COVID-19 lockdowns. When a manipulated video clip goes viral among their co-workers, the couple finds their emotional, social and marital lives thrown into chaos. Far from peddling stereotypical commercialism in mainstream “Indian Cinema”, director Mahesh Narayanan’s tense and powerful drama challenges expectations and profoundly delivers.