Ruiz returns to his family's old home in Goa and remembers the early 1960s, when Portuguese rule over Goa was about to end. The house is ruled by the widowed matriarch Dona Maria, who holds séances to speak with her dead husband and clings to the old order. Around her, family members, servants and a mysterious fugitive hiding in the house carry their own secrets, desires and resentments, and the impending change in Goa's history mirrors the decay of the family. Shyam Benegal's film is a richly atmospheric ensemble piece, shot in Goa with Ashok Mehta's camera lingering on its old mansions and candlelit interiors. Benegal won the National Film Award for Best Director for it, and Leela Naidu, in one of her rare later roles, is unforgettable as the matriarch.
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