Days and Nights in the Forest (Aranyer Din Ratri)

“Days and Nights in the Forest is one of Satyajit Ray’s masterpieces – and also one of those works that deserve to be rediscovered. The film is an astonishing, multi-faceted portrait of a generation of young Indian men who long to escape the tyranny of everyday life. We follow four unmarried friends who set off on a holiday in the forests of Jharkhand, hoping to let their hair down and let off steam. But as the four encounter the local population, the dynamics become increasingly complicated – not least between the men themselves. Featuring some of the most multi-faceted characterisations in Ray’s legendary body of work, Days and Nights in the Forest is somewhat reminiscent of John Cassavetes’s contemporary films, yet Ray infuses the psychodramatic narrative with profound elements of class and gender, creating a masterpiece that bears his unmistakable signature. (NY Film Festival, Oct 2025)

The film was restored in 4K in 2025 by The Film Foundation with the support of filmmaker Wes Anderson.