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Arrun Harker plays Pico, an English boy of Indian descent sent by his wealthy parents to attend an exclusive school in the Himalayas. Tired of being an outcast -- he can't even speak Hindi -- he runs away one day, intending to make his way to New Delhi to catch a plane to London.
In this short film directed and co-written by Rahul Gandotra, the boy must learn to find which world he belongs in. Kuldeep, a hustling young taxi driver, offers to drive Pico through the mountains for an exhorbitant fee (which keeps changing according to his mood). Kuldeep is tempted to rob the boy, but instead questions him about his insistence that "I don't feel Indian inside."
Along the way he meets Marie, a French expat embracing her newfound home. Here's a woman open to new cultures and malleable identity, and can't fathom this stubborn kid who won't accept who he is.
The cinematography is quite lovely, as Pico and Kuldeep motor along narrow roads snaking around the curves of the massive mountains.
"The Road Home" treads familiar territory, but does so with heart and gumption.
3.5 Yaps