Film festivals are a wonderful way to explore the world, even—or perhaps even especially—in their online incarnations. A trip to India is probably not happening for any of us this year, but Sidharth Srinivasan’s Kriya will transport you across continents anyway. An eerie tale of an intergenerational curse inspired by Indian funerary traditions, Kriya stars Noble Luke as DJ Neel, a club DJ who gets plunged into an ancient evil when he innocently follows Sitara (Navjot Randhawa) home after his set one night.
Sitara’s family is without a son to perform last rites on the family patriarch, per Indian tradition. It’s a big ask (to put it mildly) for a virtual stranger to step into this role, but filled with pity for the family’s plight, Neel reluctantly agrees. That’s only the beginning of his nightmare, however, in this transgressive and strikingly beautiful horror film. You can see hints of Srinivasan’s visual panache and daring storytelling in the trailer above, which premieres exclusively on The A.V. Club.
Kriya will make its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival later this month. You can find more information about virtually attending the festival here.