萨法 Saba (2024)

In lower middle-class Bangladesh, a twenty-five-year-old woman, Safa, suffers from self-inflicted guilt over her paraplegic mother Shirin’s condition. Her mother was taking her to a music class when the accident took place that led to her mother’s paraplegia, almost nineteen years ago. To deal with her guilt, Safa must preserve Shirin’s life at any cost. She does not consider the quality of her mother’s life as long as she is breathing. On the other hand, Shirin wants to enjoy the finer things in life; food, music and long drives. But task master Safa won’t allow it because Shirin has just suffered heart failure and needs surgery within the next three months if she is to survive. In order to scrape the money together for Shirin’s surgery, Safa gets a job in a shisha lounge where a thirty-eight-year-old man, Ankur, works as the manager. He is an independent and free-spirited individual. Ankur inspires Safa to let Shirin enjoy her life. They take Shirin out for long drives, street food and shopping. In the process, Safa and Ankur fall in love. But when Shirin suffers from a second heart attack, the doctor tells Safa that her mother needs the surgery within 72 hours otherwise she will die. Safa’s desperate attempts to get the money for the surgery lead to a cathartic climax in which Safa is forced to question her beliefs.