Icescape Film’s Void | A Fascinating Narrative on Barrenness & Desperation

Void is an independent film about a woman, Rhea, with infertility issues who will do whatever it takes to conceive her own baby, even if it means dabbling in dangerous occult practices. Directed by Vaibhav Gattani, this film poetically captures the desperation and despair associated with the barrenness of body, mind, and soul.

Icescape Film’s Void Honest Review

Impressive Execution

The outcome of this film is very impressive considering the fact that it’s an independent film and the budget is lower than the average film. 

The cringe levels of this film are extremely low. I’ve watched a good handful of low-budget films in my time and there is always a level of cringe due to a lack of resources to make situations and emotions more realistic but the realism of this film is really well-done. 

The acting is phenomenal, especially by Yuvradnyee, the main actress who played Rhea. She’s beautiful, graceful, and displays such a wide emotional range. Solid work by her. 

Strong Adherence to Theme

The biggest theme in this film is obviously emptiness and barrenness in a physical and emotional sense.

A common metaphor for this theme is the potted plant that Rhea nurses all throughout the film. Rhea waters the plant seed and yearns for it to sprout new life similar to the desires she has for her womb. 

The void within Rhea creates feelings of inadequacy, desperation, and emptiness. 

One emotional aspect of the film is the exploration of this feeling of such deep helplessness that you begin to say “yes” to things that you never thought you would.

A desperation so strong that you don’t even care about the potential consequences of your actions anymore.  

That was the place Rhea was in which provided a strong motivation for why she put herself in sketchy situations. Why she eventually turns to dark spiritualism in an effort to get what she so deeply desires.

Then we have her husband, Abhijeet who has been emotionally neglected due to Rhea pushing him away, using him, and disregarding his role and input in their fertility journey.

Perfect Set-Up for a Sequel

There are more parallel storylines told adjacent to Rhea’s main narrative of battling infertility but those storylines didn’t particularly enrich the overall plot of this specific story.

Because these little loose strands of the narrative weren’t woven into the central storyline, I think a sequel would be really exciting to see.

There is so much room to explore Rhea’s relationship with her next-door neighbor, Vivek, and so much intrigue to delve deeper into with the shaman lady, Blue Skies, and her relational trauma.

Also, a sequel can show more of the outcome of Rhea’s pursuit of having a baby. Was all that she sacrificed worth it? It could easily be expanded on.

In the main storyline of Rhea’s infertility, there also seemed to be a lack of resolve. I understand the metaphor of the story’s ending but there were a lot of issues that were not hashed out but rather glazed over with drugs and dancing. I really wanted more justice for Abhijeet cuz the way Rhea was treating him… smh.

Another thing that can be expanded on in a sequel.

Shocking Climax

The climax of the film actually hurt my soul a little bit (I’m really trying to review this without spoilers) but let me just say that the climax justifies the build-up. I had to look away because the things Rhea does in an effort to conceive her own baby – DETESTABLE.

Minimalistic Artistic Choices

The script of this film was only 37 pages long, leaving a lot of room for emotional expression and physical interactions to fill up the 1 hour 35-minute run time. 

The thing is though, that a lot of these moments of contemplation and emotional observation dragged on a little too long. It lingered on for longer than necessary to say what needed to be said. 

The camera angle and shot choices for some scenes were incredibly simple. The camera would sit stationary as the characters’ performed, leaving the audience just staring at the side of their faces, guessing the extent of their emotional reaction. 

There was a bit of a “void” in camera choices as well. The stillness in those moments made them feel not only empty but a bit disengaging. I would have liked to see that balanced out a bit more. Empty but still engaging to watch.

As the film continued though, the camera choices definitely became more dynamic and bolstered the storytelling.

In Conclusion…

All around, Void is a very solid film. Despite a few lulls in the narrative, it was really easy to follow and become invested in the story. The stellar acting, interesting plot, and strong theme really elevated this film beyond your average indie film. The spiritual aspect was exciting and terrifying, and although the plot left a few loose ends, it was compelling enough to eagerly anticipate a potential sequel.

Overall, really grateful to have been introduced to this film and would be interested to see this storyline play out a little longer.

Rating: 7/10

Have you seen Void? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!

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Peace, love, and lots of popcorn,

IMO