Fire in the Mountains

Its criticisms of patriarchal authority, bureaucratic corruption and superstition in rural India are sharp and unsparing, but its political themes are embedded in a humanism that is at once expansive and specific.

A mix of heavenly landscapes and desperate lives, Ajitpal Singh's debut feature is like if Apu in Pather Panchali had TikTok...

Through the snapshot of one family, struggling to stay afloat, director Ajitpal Singh constructs a strident critique of globalized India...

[Singh] abstains from making any conclusions, but what he does present is a strong indictment.

"Fire in the Mountains" is a conventional tale that pits progressive ideals against tradition. But what makes it work is Singh's resolve to avoid miserablism and remain nonjudgmental throughout...

A very impressive first film. It's not a great film, but it's a very noble one.

Fire in the Mountains paints a somber picture of servitude in a place of majestic beauty. A subjugated protagonist is taken for granted by everyone around her. Director/writer Ajitpal Singh delivers a richly dramatic feature debut.

Fire in the Mountains loses a bit too much focus on the central relationship...

I just wasn’t able to get into whatever Singh was trying to achieve.

The heavily personal first-time feature from writer and director Ajitpal Singh is often emotionally harrowing, vividly striking, increasingly hard to watch, and leaves a hell of an impression