Three of Us

There is a quiet softness in the way Three of Us unfolds, where silence often says more than dialogue ever could. It follows a woman living with dementia who returns to her hometown, not just to remember, but to reconcile. The film carries a poetic stillness that lets the emotions settle in slowly. It leaves you with sadness, but also a sense of acceptance that things unfolded the way they were meant to.

Shailaja’s condition isn't what she suffers from the most. What lingers more deeply is the unresolved grief of her sister’s death, and the guilt that has lived dormant within her ever since. As her memory begins to fade, she returns to the place where some of her happiest and most painful memories were formed, in hopes to face what she left behind. Reuniting with her childhood sweetheart, Pradeep, becomes less about nostalgia and more about understanding. Their shared past, filled with love, loss, and unanswered questions, finally finds room to breathe after decades of no contact. There is something powerful about watching her return to a place she once left behind, choosing to reconnect with it rather than remain reluctant.

Pradeep’s life begins to shift through this reunion. He rediscovers parts of himself that had been buried under routine. He starts writing poetry again. He begins stitching. Meeting Shailaja reconnects him with parts of himself that had faded over time. What stood out to me was how his innocence never really disappeared. Instead of dwelling on the hardships he had faced, he rediscovers the simple joy of creating and sharing something personal with others.

His relationship with his wife, Sarika, reflects a different kind of strength. Her trust is not loud, but it is deeply rooted. She understands and emphasizes without needing everything explained. A moment that particularly stayed with me is a conversation between Sarika and Shailaja. Sarika talks about wanting to colour her hair but continually finds excuses not to do it. Looking at Shailaja, she realizes how badly she must have wanted to return to this town, because she left all her excuses behind in Mumbai and simply came. It’s a small exchange, but it so beautiful and relatable. Rather than judging Shailaja's return, Sarika recognizes the courage it must have taken.

Not all relationships in the film find that same clarity. Shailaja’s husband, Dipankar, asks if she’s ever been this happy with him. He seems unprepared for her honesty because instead of trying to understand what she’s expressing, he reacts as though she has gone off-script. The conversation seems to sting because it forces him to look inward and reflect on a marriage he believed was perfectly fine. Instead of responding with patience or curiosity, Dipankar ends the conversation altogether. It's frustrating, but that moment was deeply human.

The film builds towards a quiet but devastating realization. It’s painfully beautiful the way Shailaja and Pradeep’s story circles back to where it began, closing a chapter neither of them knew was still open. Their farewell carries both gratitude and grief, held in a space where memory itself is uncertain.

I am in awe of the camera work. The way the scenes are framed and held adds so much emotional weight on its own. Instead of leaning into spectacle or reducing its setting to stereotypes, it captures the quiet reality of a small town in India with so much care. The lived-in homes, the empty streets, the nature around it, and the familiarity between people all feel real rather than constructed. The film slows down and lets the place exist as it is, showing beauty in the mundane.

Three of Us carries a weight you don’t fully realize you’re carrying until the final moments, when it’s suddenly lifted. And that, to me, is such a difficult thing for a filmmaker to achieve, but Avinash Arun executes it brilliantly. He allows each character the space to exist and be understood, without ever forcing judgment or resolution. We get to step into multiple people’s shoes and sit with an experience that feels familiar in different ways, and it naturally invites reflection on how we would respond in those situations ourselves.

a simple story where the actors did a very good job on displaying every emotions and it legit felt as if I was peaking into someone's real life.Also the cinematography is to die for.its slow paced and has quite deeper meanings on cycle of life so wouldn't recommend to everyone.

A beautiful, quaint film that delivers a deafening blow. A woman suffering with dementia decides to visit her childhood town and it triggers memories she can’t forget. Some of the best cinematography I’ve seen in Hindi cinema in years.