The Spark

A filmmaker follows a crematorium worker and an old woman in the sacred Hindu city Varanasi. As a victim of violence, he’s burning with anger and determined to take revenge. But a series of unexpected events challenges his conviction in this hybrid docu-drama.

Reclusive filmmaker Kabir arrives in Varanasi, the spiritual capital of Hinduism with a history dating back to ancient times. He begins to film Durga, who works at a crematorium by the Ganges, and Amma, who awaits death in Varanasi to break the cycle of reincarnation. Kabir’s camera depicts the ordinary yet profoundly ritualistic moments in Varanasi with a skilful interplay of light and shadow.

These visual elements are intertwined with an array of unsettling sounds – the persistent and mysterious ringing of a phone in the distance, a shockingly violent lynching captured through Kabir’s earphones, and the ceaseless prayers chanted through the streets during funeral processions. Through these imagery and sound, The Spark questions the violence that often manifests under the guise of religion and delves into the intricate complexities about individual salvation.