Watch Kids' Reviews of
NEEM JAMUN

This is a lovely short film for the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival partners. The story is about a boy named Sonu taking his grandma to go visit his uncle. I enjoyed the focus on the relationships between kids and grandparents. I have a strong relationship with my grandparents and I like seeing a story all about this relationship. I don't think I've seen many other films that cover this bond. The story feels rather basic and isn't all that engaging. It takes place in India and the dialogue is Hindi, with English sub-titles. It gives us an inside look at the lives of an Indian family, and some of the family relationship struggles they have that are not unlike those we experience in our own culture. When the father tells his mother she cannot go visit her other son, her grandson takes her and they sneak out in the middle of the night. They clearly have a close bond with each other and the boy is quite adept at finding their way. The scenery when grandma and Sonu are travelling is quite beautiful and gives us an overview of the topography and architecture of India. The attire looks very typical of what people wear in India, which is also interesting. We don't really know where the grandma and Sonu are travelling to, but I'm not sure that matters. One thing I really enjoyed is the song that plays while they are traveling. It sounds nice. Ssince it is in Hindi, I couldn't really understand the lyrics, but that didn't get in the way. It still gives a joyful feeling to the traveling scenes. It does show the boy doing a risky thing (sneaking out in the middle of the night to take his grandma to see her son). It made me appreciate my grandparents more. I enjoyed the focus being about the relationship between the boy and his grandma. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18. Reviewed by Calista B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic and Julie S., KIDS FIRST! Adult Juror.

Neem Jamun is a short film which explains relationships we have with our grandparents. Upon realising that his father is not letting his Grandmother go to his Uncle's place, Sonu, a 12 year old boy takes up a journey with his Grandmother to make sure she reaches where she wants.