“This allows The Shameless to be very effective as a piece of social commentary, even if it doesn’t have as much insight as it perhaps could have had with more attention to detail and a more concise approach to its subject matter.”

The Shameless is a film that begins and ends with powerful men being stabbed to death. Yet, despite these acts being committed by the same person they are almost entirely different in terms of intention, style and how they are executed, with the individual motivations behind each forming the foundation for some truly fascinating commentary. Konstantin Bojanov has spent most of his career capturing various facets of the human condition, working in different media to tell stories that are poetic and impactful, often situated within cultures different from his own and existing as reflective odysseys in which unique protagonists set out to accomplish something, whether tangible or abstract. In the case of this film, it is a rebellious young woman who seeks sanctuary amongst a group of sex workers in the bustling metropolis of New Delhi – she is not seeking salvation, but rather to be concealed momentarily as she plots her next attack, which she aims to inflict on a powerful local politician who she believes is a truly destructive force. While immersed in this community she begins a torrid love affair with another young woman, this romance threatening to derail her already perilous plan and leading to a series of obstacles that challenge the protagonist to look beyond the immediate surroundings as danger becomes increasingly more prevalent in her life. A film with many admirable elements, The Shameless is quite an intriguing piece, despite falling victim to ambitions which it seems unable to follow through in a few too many instances.

Based on the premise it is clear that Bojanov was making a film that paid tribute to many existing genres, and it is true that The Shameless plays like a very traditional, old-fashioned, hard-boiled neo-noir, with the action being moved from the traditional locations of these stories to one that is rarely displayed through this lens, at least in terms of western filmmaking. As an outsider to Indian culture, the director brings a unique perspective, including a distinct artistic sensibility that allows him to craft something that is both respectful to the culture it is representing and bespoke in terms of form and structure. It is a fast-paced flurry of genres, managing to be both rapid and meditative in equal measure, which seems appropriate considering the depth of the narrative. Bojanov tells a story about Indian culture in the 21^st century as seen through the perspective of a queer woman who has grown frustrated with being on the receiving end of sexism, both casual and violent, and who decides to become a vengeful force of her own despite knowing the risks associated with such an endeavour. For the most part The Shameless manages to make use of strong genre elements without needing to resort to cliché, at least in its earlier portions as the narrative is slowly established. Gradually, the strong political undercurrents begin to emerge as the protagonist makes her way through the city, with the director portraying her pursuit in vivid detail, capturing the gritty and harsh realities faced by women in this position and using conventional elements drawn from neo-noir, psychological thriller and action to tell this gripping story.

Yet, beyond the neon-soaked thrills and some genuinely impressive directorial choices we find that The Shameless struggles to keep itself afloat quite frequently. It doesn’t seem to understand the exact direction in which it wants to go until midway through, by which point it has already flirted with half a dozen genres and failed to decide on which one it wants to pursue over others, leading to something of a jumble in terms of tone. The central themes revolving around the protagonist’s quest for revenge are kept intact and remain extremely effective, but the film frequently deviates from this aspect, particularly when it comes to shoehorning in a romantic sub-plot that has its moments of impact but is overall not quite effective enough to justify its existence in the film, or at the very least occupying this amount of space in the narrative. There is a clear lack of cohesion in several parts of the film, with the story taking far too long to settle into a particular narrative approach and ultimately feeling quite stilted when it comes time to tie the loose ends together. It is all a matter of focus, which this film slowly starts to lose throughout the story, making it seem as if it is being suffocated by the weight of its overt ambitions. Bojanov was attempting to cast as wide a net as possible in terms of both social and cultural nuance, but in the process seems to lose sight of some of its more impactful qualities, causing the various components of the film to stutter far too frequently.

The Shameless may not be the most cohesive film, and there is certainly quite a severe disconnect between its intentions and how they are executed. Primarily, we find that the film seems to start by fashioning itself as a complex character study based around the challenges of finding your identity in a hostile world – India has grown more tolerant of LGBTQIA+ issues, but the journey is only starting and we find this reflected in the story, albeit only until a certain point. After that this aspect is abandoned to make way for other aspects, which is essentially the case with many of the promising ideas introduced throughout the film. In some ways, it is wonderful that we have such an audacious and daring film that is willing to engage with this subject matter through having such frank, earnest conversations. However, this same audacity is also somewhat oppressive in its way, since it stifles the film and prevents it from maximizing its potential because it feels impelled to cover as much socio-cultural ground as possible, rather than focusing on a specific narrative avenue and allowing the story to flourish from there. Nevertheless, the merits are still clear, and Bojanov carves a fascinating story of a woman who is driven by carnal desire, in terms of both lust and violent cravings, and makes some unique observations in terms of the cyclical nature of the story and the people who reside within it. This allows The Shameless to be very effective as a piece of social commentary, even if it doesn’t have as much insight as it perhaps could have had with more attention to detail and a more concise approach to its subject matter.