Arun Karthick’s Tiger Competition-selected feature “Nasir” premiered at the 2020 International Film Festival Rotterdam. The self-taught Tamil filmmaker had competed in IFFR before; he debuted his first feature “The Strange Case of Shiva” in IFFR 2015. This year, “Nasir” won the NETPAC Award for Best Asian film premiering at the festival.

“Nasir” follows the story of its namesake, Nasir (Koumarane Valavane) – a devout Muslim textiles salesman who lives within the ghettos of Coimbatore, India. On the outset, Nasir’s life seems miserable. He lives without running water; his boss and clientele walk all over him; his mother desperately needs healthcare; and, to top it all off, his only pillar of support — his wife — must leave town for several days. Nasir, however, seems to take in everything in stride. While his worries weigh heavily on his heart, he tries to appreciate his day to day for what it is… at least, until the ever-present threat of Hindu extremists disrupt Nasir’s fragile peace.

Though the narrative in and of itself seems typical (a Jesus-character flayed by violent opposition), “Nasir” does an excellent job of building up the momentum. The film seems to hug each quotidian scene; shot in a 4:3 ratio and often with natural lighting, the movie adopts a more vintage aesthetic of home video. The vivid color scheme only helps. Awash with warm auburn shops and sandy streets, “Nasir” envelopes a quiet world of earthy tones despite the hustle and bustle of the marketplace. Karthick’s goal to not disturb the neighborhood with his on-location shooting is a success: like Nasir, the camera seems to find order in the midst of chaos. It naturally melts into the landscape in which it was filmed.

Aside from the lull of the mundane, however, the film is peppered with a plethora of extreme close-ups. For some odd reason, the camera wistfully fixates upon the intimacies of body parts: the squeezing of toes, the folding of hands, of small neck kisses on one’s day out. What their purpose is, however, is difficult to say. Should they elicit familiarity? Warmth? Or do they simply showcase the underappreciated simplicity of the trivial, but just in a different angle? The close-ups — while beautifully captured — seem to disturb the peaceful flow it so painstakingly creates. Their ambiguity rudely disrupts Nasir’s calm with the self-awareness of the intrusive camera.

The muted thrum of Nasir’s (and in turn, Karthick’s) poetry still stuns, however, and Nasir’s tender romantic odes to his distant lover still resonate. Even with all of Nasir’s character perfections, the film’s atmosphere (and abrupt cut thereof) makes up for him. “Nasir” does not tell a story, but more of a parable. The message is clear; hatred offs even the most loving. In a time when Muslim populations face political precarity on the South Asian subcontinent, “Nasir” is as an important a watch as much as it is an enjoyable one. The film after all, seeks to serve as not just a voice for Nasir, but as a wounded cry for marginalized Muslims in a politically-charged India.

The Indian-Dutch-Singaporean co-production was produced by Stray Factory, Rinkel Film, Harman Ventures, Magic Hour Films, Cent Percent Films, and Uncombed Buddha. Sales are managed by Stray Dogs.