‘The Rise and Fall of a Small Film Company,’ a shot-on-video picture made in 1986 and having its official New York premiere in a new restoration, is one of the most diverting and substantial of these.

The creation of new technologies has enabled the reorientation of individuals’ relationships to screens. Indeed, “films and screens on which they are viewed have become elastic, malleable, and ready to be relocated from film theaters” (Despande and Mazaj 38).

The setting of the story is a familiar one. A family goes on a visit with grandparents to welcome the New Year. Their friends join in too and slowly the fabric of their relationships unravels until it reaches a critical crisis. This is director Konkona Sen Sharma’s first film, based on a story told by her father, writer Mukul Sharma.