'Sulaimani' by Vinnie Ann Bose (2025): Film Review - Annecy Festival

Sulaimani is a black tea (no milk) with spices, and offered in the southwestern part of Kerala, India, to promote solidarity and camaraderie. Also, as we learn from the sensitive and well-placed 2D/stop-motion 'Sulaimani' animation short by Vinnie Ann Bose, it is a mode of negotiating identities.

The 20-minute film (still narratively well edited so it flows naturally) tells the story of a chance encounter between two women during Christmas time. Alia and Neena first meet at the metro when a bigot tries to harass Neena. When Neena accidentally leaves one of her belongings in the metro, Alia rushes in to return it to her. They have both found themselves (but at separate tables) in the Sulaimani Indian restaurant—they are the only clients.

Alia is nervous and alone -her friends will spend Xmas away from Paris, and she does not intend to return to her homeplace either. Neena has two children and a husband back, while she's working (for 4 years without papers) to become the breadwinner for the whole family.

Situated in a relaxed but measured tempo of events, we are introduced to the character's past. The stop-motion puppet part is reserved for the present (with a darker-colored palette but still resonant), while the Indian ink 2D style of the past, with its more free-floating (but identifiable) character and background design, brings back the (good and bad) memories.

Watch the 'Sulaimani' trailer:

Far from being an out-and-loud statement for women's empowerment, Vinnie Ann Bose meticulously crafts an environment (both in Paris and in Kerala, India) where women must constantly prove their worth, and are always subject to (minor or major) threats. Families never become an authoritarian threat, but never are a real ally either; masculinity (the man as the money provider and family 'head') is constantly tested. No wonder the only amicable male presence is the mature restaurant owner.

Nationalities and regional nuances are also a mode of contention in the film; the Malayalam language (the Kerala region language) and French vie for attention, and their associated identities are sometimes denied as parochial in the multicultural Paris environment. Assimilation and integration vs. sticking to one's own national past always leads to a nuanced battle for dominion in 'Sulaimani'. Bird's eye view shots in the Indian segment mostly try to distance the present from the past, while the enclosed space of the Sulaimani restaurant serves as a place of reconciliation.

Food, of course, is always present, and its cultural significance is very much highlighted in the film; from biryani to papadum, the Indian flavors fill the visual screen, before leading to the actual sulaimani offer.

'Sulaimani' offers a refined take on two women's need to connect in their adopted homeland. The treatment is unceremoniously easygoing, its aesthetics are never obtrusive, and its overall arc leads to a Xmas tea delight (which doesn't feel forced). Drink your tea.

Sulaimani (2025)
Direction: Vinnie Ann BOSE | Production: Christophe Camoirano, Vanessa Buttin-Labarthe, Jean Bouthors / Girelle Production in co-production with Les Astronautes | Script: Vinnie Ann Bose, Patricia Valeix | Camera: Damien Buquen | Music: Matthieu GÉRARD-TULANE | Sound: Louis Molinas, Shaun-Nicholas Gallacher | Editing: Vinnie Ann Bose | Voice: Jessin Jacob, Vinnie Ann Bose, Jose Sebastian  Mukkaden, Achyuth Unnikrishnan, Liney Johnny

Sulaimani is in competition (Short Films) at the 2025 Annecy Festival.

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