One of the most creative takes on the pandemic era came a few years ago with the lo-fi, humorous New Strains, and now directors Artemis Shaw and Prashanth Kamalakanthan are returning with Removal of the Eye. Once again mining from their own lives, it follows the filmmakers as struggling parents Kallia and Ram—the same alternative versions of themselves that they played in New Strains—alongside their real-life child, Shaw’s mother, Katerina Shaw, and other members of their family.
A selection at Baltimore’s New/Next Film Festival and IFFR, Cinema Conservancy will kick off a North American roadshow next month with stops at Nitehawk Williamsburg (2/4), Nitehawk Prospect Park (2/5), Roxy Cinema (2/6), and 2220 Arts in Los Angeles with Mezzanine (2/12). Ahead of the roll-out, we’re pleased to exclusively premiere the trailer and poster.
Here’s the synopsis: “Kallia and Ram are at their wits’ end with their sleepless baby when they realize Kallia’s Greek mother is on a secret mission to exorcise the family from the evil eye. Trapped between the pressures of new age parenting, old world superstitions, and meddling in-laws, they fight to hold onto their dreams. Filmmakers Shaw and Kamalakanthan turn the lens on themselves and their loved ones—including their actual baby and parents—in this fearless, intimate comedy.”
After moving into the same Manhattan apartment building as Shaw’s parents shortly before their son’s birth, the filmmakers found themselves navigating an unexpected cultural clash. “While in India and Greece, our parents’ native countries, it is an expectation and honor to care for one’s aging parents, the expectations in the United States are much different,” Shaw explains. “Countless child-rearing gurus and self-help guides teach you how to set boundaries with grandparents, rather than how to welcome them in.”
See our exclusive trailer and poster premiere below.
