Donkeyhead
{{Short description|2021 Canadian film by Agam Darshi}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Donkeyhead
| image =
| caption =
| director = Agam Darshi
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- Kelly Balon
- Anand Ramayya
}}
| writer = Agam Darshi
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Agam Darshi
- Stephen Lobo
- Sandy Sidhu
- Husein Madhavji
}}
| music =
| cinematography =
| editing =
| studio = Karma Film
| distributor = {{Plainlist|
- Level Film
- Super Channel
- ARRAY
- Netflix
}}
| released = {{Film date|2021|12|01|MISAFF|2022|1|21|Netflix}}
| runtime =
| country = Canada
| language = English
| budget = $2 million{{cite web|url=https://leaderpost.com/entertainment/local-arts/sask-made-movies-one-film-does-not-an-industry-make|title=Donkeyhead crew agrees, 'we really don't have a film industry' in Sask.|date=January 30, 2021|first=Ashley |last=Martin|website=Regina Leader-Post|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218154843/https://leaderpost.com/entertainment/local-arts/sask-made-movies-one-film-does-not-an-industry-make|archive-date=February 18, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=February 18, 2021}}
| gross =
}}
Donkeyhead is a 2021 Canadian comedy-drama film written and directed by Agam Darshi in her directorial debut. The plot follows Mona Ghuman, a woman tasked with taking care of her father with the help of her three siblings after he is diagnosed with cancer and his health starts to deteriorate. The film premiered at the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival in Mississauga, Ontario, on December 1, 2021. It was digitally released on Netflix on January 21, 2022. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
Premise
Mona is a failed writer who carves out a life of isolation while caring for her ailing Sikh father. When he suffers a debilitating stroke, her three successful siblings show up on her doorstep determined to take control of the situation.
Cast
- Agam Darshi as Mona Ghuman
- Stephen Lobo as Parm Ghuman
- Sandy Sidhu as Sandy Ghuman
- Husein Madhavji as Rup Ghuman
- Kim Coates as Brent Maloney
- Marvin Ishmael as Gurpreet Ghuman
- Balinder Johal as Puaji
Production
Filming began in Regina, Saskatchewan, on January 18, 2021, on a $2 million budget.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/01/funny-boy-agam-darshi-director-donkeyhead-1234677806/|title=Funny Boy Actress Agam Darshi Sets Feature Directorial Debut With Family Dramedy Donkeyhead|date=January 21, 2021|first=Dino-Ray |last=Ramos|website=Deadline Hollywood|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121214222/https://deadline.com/2021/01/funny-boy-agam-darshi-director-donkeyhead-1234677806/|archive-date=January 21, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=January 21, 2021}} Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film's crew had to follow various safety measures and protocols, such as getting tested frequently for the virus, practicing social distancing, and wearing facemasks while on set. According to co-producer Kelly Balon, the pandemic resulted in an additional $50,000 in production costs. Filming concluded after a month on February 12, after shooting scenes in various locations around the city, including at the Fat Badger, Hotel Saskatchewan, several funeral homes, and an old house at Victoria Avenue. Marian Wihak was the film's production designer.{{cite web|url=https://leaderpost.com/entertainment/local-arts/dramedy-donkeyhead-films-amid-pandemic-in-downtown-regina|title=Dramedy Donkeyhead films amid pandemic in downtown Regina|date=January 22, 2021|first=Ashley |last=Martin|website=Regina Leader-Post|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218153208/https://leaderpost.com/entertainment/local-arts/dramedy-donkeyhead-films-amid-pandemic-in-downtown-regina|archive-date=February 18, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=February 18, 2021}}
Release
The film premiered at the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival in Mississauga, Ontario, on December 1, 2021.{{cite web|first=Victoria|last=Ahearn|url=https://playbackonline.ca/2021/11/26/in-brief-agam-darshis-donkeyhead-to-open-misaff/|title=In Brief: Agam Darshi's Donkeyhead to open MISAFF|website=Playback|date=November 26, 2021|access-date=December 2, 2021}} It was theatrically released in Canada by Level Film and digitally by Super Channel.{{cite web|url=https://leaderpost.com/entertainment/local-arts/new-movie-donkeyhead-being-filmed-in-regina-kim-coates-cast|title=New movie Donkeyhead being filmed in Regina, Kim Coates cast|date=January 18, 2021|first=Ashley |last=Martin|website=Regina Leader-Post|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218160927/https://leaderpost.com/entertainment/local-arts/new-movie-donkeyhead-being-filmed-in-regina-kim-coates-cast|archive-date=February 18, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=February 18, 2021}} In the United States, the film was released by ARRAY and Netflix on January 21, 2022.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/01/array-releasing-definition-please-donkeyhead-1234906847/|title=Array Releasing Acquires Directorial Debuts From Two South Asian Women Filmmakers; Definition Please by Sujata Day And Donkeyhead by Agram Darshi|date=January 10, 2022|first=Valerie|last=Complex|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=January 10, 2022}}
Reception
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|92|6.4|12|ref=yes|access-date=April 15, 2022}} Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Carlos Aguilar praised Darshi's performance and compared it to Anne Hathaway's role in Rachel Getting Married (2008).{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-01-20/review-secrets-and-unresolved-trauma-fuel-heartrending-donkeyhead|url-access=limited|title=Review: Secrets and unresolved trauma fuel heartrending Donkeyhead|date=January 20, 2022|first=Carlos|last=Aguilar|author-link=Carlos Aguilar (writer)|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=February 22, 2022}} Beatrice Loayza from The New York Times criticized the screenplay and called the lead character "a stereotypically troubled woman whose eventual awakening merits a shrug at most."{{Cite web|last=Loayza|first=Beatrice|date=January 20, 2022|title=Donkeyhead Review: You Really Can't Go Home Anymore|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/movies/donkeyhead-review.html|url-access=limited|access-date=February 22, 2022|website=The New York Times}} Aparita Bhandari of The Globe and Mail said, "Even if Darshi hasn't written Mona from personal experience, she clearly knows the character intimately, and gives Mona a kind of stubborn vulnerability that's totally relatable."{{cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/reviews/article-regina-set-south-asian-dramedy-donkeyhead-gets-tantalizingly-close-to/|url-access=limited|title=Regina-set South Asian dramedy Donkeyhead gets tantalizingly close to breaking new ground|date=March 10, 2022|first=Aparita|last=Bhandari|website=The Globe and Mail|access-date=April 15, 2022}}
The film was shortlisted for Best Direction in a Feature Film at the 2022 Directors Guild of Canada awards.Etan Vlessing, [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/nightmare-alley-crimes-of-the-future-night-raiders-nominees-dgc-awards-2022-1235226138/ "DGC Awards: ‘Nightmare Alley,’ ‘Crimes of the Future,’ ‘Night Raiders’ Lead Nominees"]. The Hollywood Reporter, September 23, 2022.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|14064072}}
{{authority control}}
Category:2021 directorial debut films
Category:2021 comedy-drama films
Category:Canadian comedy-drama films
Category:Canadian independent films
Category:Films about dysfunctional families
Category:Films impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
Category:Films shot in Saskatchewan
Category:Films about Indian Canadians