‘Nobody really knows how life is here in Romania, and especially cultural life. There are still people believing that we speak Russian or that it’s very cold’
Whereâs it on? Netflix
Quietly arriving on Netflix last week, The Disciple was a favourite for many who saw it on the festival run last year. Mumbai-born director Chaitanya Tamhane made a name for himself with his 2014 legal drama Court. His second feature enters the world of Indian classical music. The Disciple centres on a vocalist, Sharad Nerulkar (Aditya Modak), who has followed his father into a music career, devoting himself to practise and the noble tradition of his craft. Only thing is, he starts to get a niggling sense that heâs falling short. His perfectionism may not be perfect enough. And if itâs not, should he continue? Where Whiplash (2014) treated this theme with a frenzied forward motion, The Disciple makes for more contemplative, enigmatic drama. More like Mia Hansen-Løveâs house music epic Eden (2014), itâs not about shooting for your dreams so much as having the self-knowledge to know when to abandon them.