Beti (2020)

Directed by: Amira Duynhouwer | 10 minutes | short film, drama | Actors: Shalini Ramgolam, Keara Patti, Narsingh Balwantsingh, Helen Arenz

Jay (Shalini Ramgolam) looks out from her bedroom window. Her husband welcomes a teenage girl into the house, and talks to a woman who brought the girl. When Arvind (Narsingh Balwantsingh) introduces the girl as his daughter, the atmosphere is cut. It’s clear Jay isn’t thrilled with the arrival of Stacey (Keara Patti), but why exactly?

Stacey, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to care about the icy chilly Jay. She is a bit surprised that Jay eats cabbage for breakfast, but otherwise she feels at home. She is pleased with her father’s attention and invites Jay to the planned movie outing. But Jay refuses.

Despite Jay’s discomfort around spontaneous Stacey, you can feel everything in ‘Beti’ that the relationship between these women will be fine. The ending of ‘Beti’ is therefore not surprising, but in line with the characters. A nice and stimulating short film, which deals with a theme that actually deserves a longer running time.