The Waiting City is a 2009 Australian film directed by Claire McCarthy. The film stars Joel Edgerton as Ben Simmons, Radha Mitchell as Fiona Simmons, Samrat Chakrabati as Krishna, and Isabel Lucas as Scarlett. The film's score was composed by Michael Yezerski. The Waiting City is about an Australian couple who travels to India to adopt a child. During the trip, they also learn more about their marriage and relationship.
The film was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival in the Special Presentation category. It was also screened at the Pusan International Film Festival in 2009 and the Sydney Film Festival in 2010.
Synopsis
Fiona (Radha Mitchell) and Ben (Joel Edgerton) are a couple from Australia—she is a successful, self-starting lawyer while he is a relaxed, easy-going musician. Fiona and Ben, who want to adopt a child, travel to India for what they imagine will be a quick and simple process. However, once they arrive in Calcutta (now Kolkata) they learn that little happens quickly in India, and for all the promises that have been made, they begin to doubt whether they will be able to complete the final stages of the adoption process.
While Fiona stays in touch with her clients at home via the internet and deals with the legal red tape slowing down the adoption, Ben finds himself wandering the streets of Calcutta and adjusting to the rhythms of the city. The stress of the waiting period seems to reinforce the differences between Fiona and Ben, and tension begins to grow into anger and resentment; adding to Ben's dissatisfaction is his budding friendship with Scarlett (Isabel Lucas), an attractive fellow visitor who seems more compatible with his attitudes than his wife.
Fiona, an atheist, finds herself at odds with the Indian people who are driven by religious tradition. As her stay in India progresses, the various unfamiliar sights evoke spiritual feelings in her. When Ben and Fiona finally go to the orphanage to meet their would-be daughter Lakshmi, they discover that she is chronically ill and likely unable to survive a flight to Sydney. Fiona and Ben are devastated when Lakshmi dies a few days later. Having lost all that they meant to find in India, the lovers decide once again that they need each other and engage in reconciliation.
Cast
Radha Mitchell as Fiona Simmons
Joel Edgerton as Ben Simmons
Samrat Chakrabarti as Krishna
Isabel Lucas as Scarlett
Tillotama Shome as Sister Tessila
Barun Chanda as Doctor Khan
Dana Roy as Sister Agnes
Tamal Ray Chowdhury as Uncle
Tanushree Shankar as Didi Chatterjee
Palomi Ghosh as Urmi
Themes
Motherhood
Motherhood is a key theme in The Waiting City. Fiona has conflict over two different domains of her life regarding family and career - her new role as a mother and her career as a lawyer. She prioritises her career over motherhood. The film describes how this has negative consequences upon her marriage to Ben. In films and literature, motherhood is shown in a conventional and traditional style where it represents femininity. Fiona's character representation as a "career-centred contemporary woman" contradicts the conventional depictions of motherhood. Fiona's trip to India with Ben makes her question whether or not she is suitable to be a mother. Krishna, the couple's driver in India, challenges Fiona's suitability as a mother due to her and Ben not already having children. He believes that them having to adopt a child means Fiona is not ready for motherhood. Fiona's surroundings during the trip, through religion and culture, reinforce India's firm beliefs of what it means to be a mother, that is, women should have a strong desire for motherhood. Traditionally, the concept of motherhood has been related to a woman's core identity and represents her femininity as a woman. These traditional beliefs make Fiona engage with her role as a woman and how she should want to attain motherhood.