Mehazabien Chowdhury in Saba (TIFF)

The emotionally charged Bangladeshi mother-daughter drama, Saba, had its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. It marks the feature debut of director Maksud Hossain, who tells a quietly intense story of a young woman struggling to care for her ailing mother.

Saba (Mehazabien Chowdhury) is the sole caregiver for her mother, Shirin (Rokeya Prachy), who has heart disease and is paraplegic. With a missing father, mounting financial burdens, and the weight of the world on her shoulders, Saba portrays the harsh realities of her situation and her attempts to secure an imperative surgery for her mother, while also navigating the love-hate relationship between them. Matters become more heightened as Saba befriends Ankur (Mostafa Monwar), the awkward manager of the new hookah bar where she works. Through this new relationship, Saba begins to step outside her caregiver role, but even those moments of freedom are short-lived.

Despite the end-of-life-care theme, Hossain infuses humor that breaks the tension of the heavier scenes. One of the more impressive aspects of the script is how organic the conflicts and emotionally charged scenes feel. Hossain also finds sweetness in sad moments, beauty in the dire, and humor in the mundane. The dialogue and events come across as real and unforced, moving the narrative forward. This is also due to Chowdhury’s incredible, nuanced debut performance. Meanwhile, Prachy infuses Shirin with a perfect blend of helplessness in some moments and bitterness and resentment in others. The antagonistic relationship between mother and daughter makes the more heartfelt moments feel earned.

Bangladeshi culture places great importance on respect for elders, but the movie doesn’t hold back when Saba and her mother argue over Shirin’s ultimate fate. While Saba’s exasperation at her life causes outbursts that might seem disrespectful, they work because of her immediate embarrassment, which reinforces cultural attitudes about elders and their care. The film examines those who stay in difficult familial situations at the expense of their dreams and desires, compared to those who leave to build a life of their own—Saba observes Ankur as he sacrifices, compromises, and works hard for his dreams. The themes and morals the movie tackles are not easily or openly discussed in these communities.

Saba is a wonderful story about the choices we make in life and how the duty to our elders takes precedence over our own happiness, despite their awareness of it. It’s also a great debut from Hossain and Chowdhury.