APABAD Turns out to APABAD

Rajbalav Koirala stars in this ambitious story about an independent-minded young man named Suyog from Nepal who keeps getting frustrated in pursuit of his dreams and attempts to fulfill his objectives in life. "Apabad" literally means exception, and true to form following content, the film is not the usual "idealist confronts reality" coming-of-age drama with a hero necessarily coming out on top after getting hit by life's slings and arrows, but a resting story about dealing with continual disappointment and defeat in reaching one's goals.

This is not to suggest there is no sunshine in the movie (in fact, lots of moments of levity and beauty abound in it, such as a campfire scene where the hero plays a song with guitar that seems to symbolize his sense of hope), but to say that the film is primarily about facing the darkness. This causes Suyog, over the course of many disappointments, to be left in somewhat lost state of mind, and gets almost to the point of realizing that old expression, "when there's nothing left to burn you burn yourself." Despite being very focused on characterization instead of allegory, the leader character's flight might go be said to represent the current Nepali middle class, or the lost generation of Nepali youth.

Over the course of Apabad, Suyog seems to evolve away from trying to focus on accomplishing goals in life, to one of five and figure out what his purpose or place in it is, and fit in somehow. Just what is it that one does, when they realize they have become "the exception," an exception they didn't want to be? What happens when you don't belong because you have become something that is not normal, but you still have a sense of belonging? Suyog goes on a long journey and to great lengths to make these adjustments in order to come to make peace with himself.

Koirala gives a great performance to make this kind of unique story work, and be bearable for the course of an entire film. Rabi Giri is also notable in playing the father, trying to tolerate his son's failures even though it is wearing him out to do so. Somewhat lost in the shuffle is Nisha Adhikari, who plays the love interest of Suyog, which is odd because much of the movie devotes itself to their would-be romance. Once again the movie shows how exceptional it is - in a typical coming-of-age or "against the odds" story the love angle would be front and center, to take the edge off of the struggles of the main characters to fulfill themselves.