{"id":11453,"date":"2026-03-27T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/?p=11453"},"modified":"2026-03-28T11:59:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T16:59:59","slug":"where-music-exists-beyond-sound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/where-music-exists-beyond-sound\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Music Exists Beyond Sound"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>5 Minute, 20 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

MOVIE REVIEW
\nS\u016aNNA (Listen)<\/strong>
\n\u00a0–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Genre:<\/strong> Drama
\nYear Released: <\/strong>2025, 2026
\nRuntime: <\/strong>13m
\nDirector(s): <\/strong>Radha Mehta
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>Radha Mehta
\nCast:<\/strong> Anisha Nagarajan, Aaliya Mehta, Behzad Dabu, Alyssa Diaz
\nWhere to Watch:<\/strong> shown at the 2026 Cleveland International Film Festival<\/p>\n

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RAVING REVIEW:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>A life built around sound doesn\u2019t just disappear, and S\u016aNNA (LISTEN) understands that loss in a way that feels closer, more personal, and uncomfortably real. This isn\u2019t a film interested in sentiment or quick emotional shortcuts. Instead, it plants itself in the disorientation that comes with losing something so foundational, then begins rebuilding from that absence. At just over thirteen minutes, it moves with a sense of purpose that never feels rushed, allowing each moment to carry weight without overstaying its welcome.<\/p>\n

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A young musician, Lakshmi, suddenly loses her hearing and is forced to confront what that means for her, her art, and her future. What follows isn\u2019t a traditional arc of overcoming adversity in just an inspirational sense. The film leans into the uncertainty of that transition, capturing the frustration, confusion, and grief that come with it. There\u2019s no all-knowing clarity, no sudden revelation that fixes everything. Instead, S\u016aNNA lets the process feel ongoing, messy, and deeply human.<\/p>\n

Aaliya Mehta carries the film with a performance that avoids exaggeration and settles into a more grounded tone. Her portrayal of Lakshmi doesn\u2019t rely on any dramatic outbursts to communicate pain. It\u2019s in the smaller shifts, the hesitation in her movements, the way she interacts with the world when sound is no longer a guarantee. That restraint becomes one of the film\u2019s strongest assets, inviting the audience to meet her where she is rather than pushing them toward a specific emotional response.<\/p>\n

The supporting cast plays a crucial role in shaping that experience without taking the focus away. Anisha Nagarajan brings a presence that reinforces the film\u2019s sense of authenticity, while Behzad Dabu and Alyssa Diaz contribute to a framework of support that never feels overly idealized. These relationships are important, but they\u2019re not presented as solutions. They exist alongside Lakshmi\u2019s journey rather than defining it, which allows the film to maintain its focus where it belongs.<\/p>\n

Where S\u016aNNA separates itself is in how it approaches sound, or the absence of it. Instead of treating silence as a void, the film reshapes it into something expressive. The sound design becomes an active storytelling tool, shifting between what is heard, what is remembered, and what is felt. That distinction matters more than you might think. The film isn\u2019t just about losing hearing; it\u2019s about redefining how experience is processed. Moments that could have been played as tragic instead take on a different texture, one that emphasizes adaptation rather than defeat.<\/p>\n

The cinematography by Isue Shin doesn\u2019t attempt to overwhelm the audience with stylization, but it remains intentional in how it frames Lakshmi\u2019s world. There\u2019s a noticeable attention to physical interaction, how hands move, and how space is perceived without the guidance of sound. It\u2019s subtle, but it reinforces the film\u2019s idea that identity isn\u2019t tied to a single sense.<\/p>\n

What also stands out is how the film incorporates cultural identity without turning it into a surface-level detail. Music, memory, and heritage are all intertwined here, not as background elements, but as parts of Lakshmi\u2019s reconstruction. The film recognizes that losing one part of you doesn\u2019t erase everything else. Instead, it allows those remaining connections to become the foundation for something new. That balance between personal experience and cultural specificity gives the film a broader resonance without diluting its perspective.<\/p>\n

The film\u2019s brevity works in its favor in several ways. There\u2019s no excess here, no unnecessary detours that dilute its focus. Every scene contributes to the core exploration, and the film trusts its audience enough to fill in the gaps without spelling everything out. That aligns with the overall tone, which avoids turning the story into something overly instructive or sentimental.<\/p>\n

The film\u2019s conclusion lands with a confidence that feels earned. Rather than offering a neatly packaged resolution, it settles into a space that acknowledges growth without pretending that the journey is complete. That choice reinforces the idea that adaptation isn\u2019t a single moment of transformation, but an ongoing process. It\u2019s a more honest way to end the story, and it remains consistent with everything that came before.<\/p>\n

S\u016aNNA (LISTEN) doesn\u2019t try to position itself as a definitive statement on hearing loss or identity, and that\u2019s part of what makes it so effective. It\u2019s a personal story told with care, shaped by lived experience, and presented without unnecessary embellishment. The film understands the weight of its subject, but it also recognizes that resilience doesn\u2019t always look dramatic. Sometimes it\u2019s quiet, incremental, and difficult to define in real time.<\/p>\n

For a short film, it leaves a long-lasting impression, not because it demands attention, but because it earns it. There\u2019s clarity in its intent, respect for its characters, and a willingness to sit with discomfort rather than rush past it. It doesn\u2019t overreach, and it doesn\u2019t need to. What it offers is focused, thoughtful, and emotionally grounded, which is more than enough to set it apart.<\/p>\n

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[photo courtesy of DOSE OF SOUL, LLC]<\/em><\/p>\n

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MOVIE REVIEW S\u016aNNA (Listen) \u00a0–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Genre: Drama Year Released: 2025, 2026 Runtime: 13m Director(s): Radha Mehta Writer(s): Radha Mehta Cast: Anisha Nagarajan, Aaliya Mehta, Behzad Dabu, Alyssa Diaz Where to Watch: shown at the 2026 Cleveland International Film Festival RAVING REVIEW:A life built around sound doesn\u2019t just disappear, and S\u016aNNA (LISTEN) understands that loss in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film-festival"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11453"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11497,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11453\/revisions\/11497"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}