Directed by debutant Asim Abbasi, Cake explores strained relationship of siblings of a dysfunctional family. You may feel a bit of resemblance to the Bollywood movie Kapoor and Sons. Like Kapoor and Sons, a medical emergency in the family triggers a reunion of two sisters and their brother, thus unfolding few past wounds and secrets. Here the characters are beautifully crafted and this lovable family drama is raw and imperfect. There is no sugar coating here, the crisis and situation felt real and emotional outburst felt organic. The film shows you can never undermine the essential values of a family setup. The women take center stage and both the sisters and their big mouth eccentric mother just rocked. There is depth and complexity in the characterization. The whole setup and drama was treated with bit of sarcastic humor through out except the last 15 minutes, where things becomes more melodramatic. Heavy influence of Mohd Rafi songs are seen through out and it plays a key theme for the film. In the end director was able to break quiet a lot of stereotype and was able to deliver a key message. It strikes a bitter sweet spot and like the layers of cake the outer cover is different from the inner one. Cake is now streaming on Netflix.
Verdict - 3.5/5(A family redemption)