An aspect that is all too relatable for siblings is that of hand-me-downs — an object that makes its way from the eldest sibling, down to the youngest. Whether the object was used or unused is a trivial matter. The object, by way of utility, must serve its purpose. But, are hand-me-downs always just objects?
Siddhartha Bedi through his short film, My Sister And Hand-Me-Downs, explores a not-so-popular aspect of how certain personality traits of his have the potential to be hand-me-downs to his sister. His sister, Tanya, is weird, he says – weird like him.
A blue Bluetooth speaker, an oversized Manchester United jacket, or the PS2 — most of Tanya’s gifts have been Siddhartha’s hand-me-downs. Her attachment to each of these and other gifts points to a much more nuanced relationship she shares with the objects, whether it is a hand-me-down or not.
Siddhartha and Tanya’s sibling bond is aptly captured within a span of three minutes. By the end of it, Siddhartha and the viewer both are able to realise that Tanya’s weirdness may be yet another hand-me-down, after all!
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