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| Above Water | |
|---|---|
 Logo released in 2023 | |
| Directed by | Priyesh Nath |
| Written by | Kareem Shamsudin Priyesh Nath |
| Based on | Taare Zameen Par by Aamir Khan |
| Produced by | Kareem Shamsudin Dante Gillis-Snow |
| Starring | Kenneth O'Tool Priyesh Nath Joshua Marr Curbello |
| Cinematography | Kareem Shamsudin |
| Edited by | Sofiya Azerado Priyesh Nath |
| Music by | Priyesh Nath |
Production company | Saturtainment Studios Above Water Films Nath Film Studios |
| Distributed by | Saturtainment Studios |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Above Water is a 2023 psychological drama film directed by Priyesh Nath. It is produced by Kareem Shamsudin and Dante Gillis-Snow. It stars Kenneth O'Toole, Nath himself, and Joshua Marr Curbello. It is about a 13-year-old autistic boy named Keith (played by O'Toole) who is always bullied due to his differences, but when a new kid named Praveen (played by Nath) notices his differences and helps him stand out. The movie is based off of the 2007 Hindi-film Taare Zameen Par. It released on 21 April 2023 in Canada. A confirmation of a sequel was announced on 2 September 2024, but Nath said in an interview that the naming of the second film might be different from the original.
Plot
[edit]In the midst of a snowy day, Praveen's family moved from Seattle to Boston, where he enrolled in Grace Peters Middle School. There, he encountered Keith, a top-performing sixth-grade student who faced constant bullying and dismissal due to his perceived differences. Praveen, a friendly boy who loved making friends, was assigned to sit next to Keith. Despite the initial awkwardness and Keith's lingering pain, Praveen persisted in befriending him. Joshua, a known bully, targeted Keith's artwork and continued to torment him, even threatening him in private.
Determined to help Keith, Praveen approached Keith's parents to discuss the bullying he was experiencing. With courage, Praveen explained the importance of treating Keith with respect and highlighted the negative impact of the bullying on his well-being. Keith's mother initially dismissed Praveen's concerns, but Praveen firmly insisted that Keith deserved kindness and suggested that he see a doctor. Praveen soon found Keith contemplating suicide, looking dejected and defeated. Concerned for his friend's safety, Praveen called out to him and offered his support. He promised to help Keith feel better and began teaching him communication skills to help him express his thoughts and feelings. Praveen also advocated for Keith with their teachers, urging them to treat him fairly. As Keith's confidence grew, his talents began to shine, and he eventually became the top student in his class.
The school announced an art competition, presenting a perfect opportunity for Keith to showcase his creativity. With Praveen's encouragement, Keith felt excited and ready to participate. However, Joshua, fueled by jealousy, falsely accused Keith of cheating and presented fabricated evidence. The teachers believed Joshua's claims and tore up Keith's painting, causing him to lose the trust and respect of his peers and teachers. After the art contest, the world seemed to turn against Keith. The once cheerful atmosphere was replaced by a cold, heavy silence. Kids who had once admired his drawings now avoided him, their eyes filled with fear and disgust. Joshua made sure everyone knew his opinion of Keith, and whispers and laughter followed him wherever he went.
The once happy and talented kid who loved to paint was now a lonely person in his room. His parents were sad and disappointed, and Praveen watched him grow quieter and quieter. Despite Praveen's efforts to offer support, Keith seemed unable to hear him. Joshua's relentless bullying had turned everyone against Keith, and people who had once been nice now ignored him or were mean. Whispers followed him everywhere, accusing him of cheating even though he was innocent. Even his teachers looked at him suspiciously, as if they didn't trust him. One dark night, as thunder rumbled and rain poured down, Keith opened his window, feeling like an escape from the torture he was enduring. He grabbed a stool and stood on it, contemplating the unthinkable. With tears in his eyes, he prepared to jump from the 11th-floor window. Just as Keith's parents entered his room to scold him even more, they saw him standing on the stool and realized the danger he was in.
Cast
[edit]- Kenneth O'Toole as Keith; the main protagonist of the story
- Priyesh Nath as Praveen; an Indian-Bangladeshi student who helps Keith
- Joshua Marr Curbello as Joshua; the main antagonist of the story
- Jennifer O'Toole as Sarah; the mother of Keith
Development
[edit]Creating and writing the story
[edit]On 18 March 2022, Nath watched the 2007 Hindi film Taare Zameen Par. According to Nath, he said that it had inspired him to create a new version of the story, but if it were to be around children. As a student himself, he said he too also wanted to spread awareness of other disabilities. With the help of Kareem Shamsudin and Dante Gillis-Snow, the trio began to work on a script for another version of the movie. Nath told Shamsudin to "add an unexpected twist" to the story. Shamsudin came up with having a new student help the disabled child instead of a substitute teacher. Nath really liked the idea of that, so he implemented it into the story. Gillis-Snow and Nath came up with autism to be the disability that was featured, because Nath had seen his peers in class being bullied due to it.
Casting
[edit]Nath talked about the project to his principal Bruce Currie. Currie accepted the proposal and allowed one period off during class until they start shooting. They asked 10 students of the school to audition and O'Toole got the role of Keith. According to Nath, O'Toole had told him that he also had autism and was glad to be in the film. Curbello got the role of the lead bully, who is the main antagonist of the film. Almost all of the students at Nath's school were also involved in making the film. Before long, Nath, Shamsudin, and Gillis-Snow were ready to start shooting.
Filming
[edit] | This section may be confusing or unclear to readers. (September 2024) |
The filming of the movie took place in a neighbourhood named Scarborough Village in Toronto, Canada. Nath, Shamsudin, and Gillis-Snow started a "filmmaking club" for the school, and Nath claimed an estimate of over 70 students joined.
"I was planning to make a film that would be a different version of Taare Zameen Par, but now I know the real reason why I was doing this. To spread awareness about autism and the impact it could have." - Nath said in a conference
Director Priyesh Nath started by filming practice scenes by having the actors read one line at a time. Nath then would act out the scenes and have the actors act it out after. Nath originally was going to choose someone else to be Praveen, who he originally named Joseph, but he decided to be in the movie himself so he could show people how to act in the scenes as well as being there in the scene. He renamed the character to Praveen to match his accent. According to Shamsudin, filming took place from October 2022 to February 2023.
Release
[edit]School-wide release
[edit]On 21 April 2023, Nath issued a "school-wide release", meaning he would only display the finished film in his school's auditorium using a projector. First, Nath and Currie set up an assembly for all classes to go down and watch the film. Then, from 23 April to 30 April, at 6 p.m., adults could buy tickets from a platform called SchoolCashOnline by KEV. Those tickets would allow you to see the movie at the auditorium for $10 each ticket.
Theatrical release
[edit]On 13 July 2023, Nath went to the Cineplex Cinemas, where he encountered a worker who watched the film in Bliss Carman Senior Public School, and asked them to send an MP4 file of the movie. Nath had his phone on him and AirDropped the film's file. It was later screened and was on the news about an unknown movie suddenly being screened on theatres. Ellis Jacob, CEO and President of Cineplex Entertainment heard about this and after watching the film, he allowed it to be screened in theatres nationwide.
Cineplex Protests
[edit]After the following events and screening, protest organizers protested about Cineplex screening an unofficial film in their theatres. After four weeks of protests, Cineplex eventually boycotted the film.
Release in India
[edit]The film later reached India, where Nath was born. Indian cinema companies dubbed the film to Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam. Aamir Khan, director of Taare Zameen Par also noticed the film and said it was an "inspired masterpiece".
Soundtrack
[edit]The soundtrack for Above Water was released on 8 September 2023. It was composed by the director Nath himself, as he was also a musician and composer during the making of this film.
| Above Water Main Track | |
|---|---|
| |
| Film score by Priyesh Nath | |
| Released | September 8, 2023 |
| Studio | Saturtainment Music Studios |
| Genre | Feature Film |
| Language | English |
| Director | Priyesh Nath |
| Producer | Kareem Shamsudin |
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Priyesh Nath
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0. | "Main Title" | Priyesh Nath | 6:12 |
| 1. | "Welcome to Seattle" | Priyesh Nath | 3:49 |
| 2. | "From Masterpiece to Garbage" | Priyesh Nath | 6:58 |
| 3. | "Multiple Boarding Schools" | Priyesh Nath | 4:29 |
| 4. | "Solve that Math Problem" | Priyesh Nath | 4:56 |
| 5. | "The Teacher is Coming!" | Priyesh Nath | 3:13 |
| 6. | "I Feel Different (Autism Discovery)" | Priyesh Nath | 5:12 |
| 7. | "Khushi Hui (खुशी हुई)" | Sulaimen Ahmed (সুলাইমান আহমেদ) | 4:28 |
| 8. | "The Painting Says Everything" | Priyesh Nath | 6:39 |
| 9. | "Over the Fence" | Priyesh Nath | 4:18 |
| 10. | "Time for Improvement" | Priyesh Nath | 3:48 |
| 11. | "Let Your Creativity Shine" | Priyesh Nath Sulaimen Ahmed (সুলাইমান আহমেদ) | 5:29 |
| 12. | "The World Against Him" | Priyesh Nath | 6:39 |
| 13. | "End Credits" | 12:48 |
Sequel
[edit]On 2 September 2024, Nath announced on X about his making of a sequel. Fans anticipated it to be called Above Water 2, but 3 days later Nath noted that the naming of the film could be different from the original.